Silent Whisper
by Foreveryoung161
Summary: Rose Hathaway's life has just been turned upside down with her mother's shocking death. She moves to a small town in Maine under the care of her aunt and uncle. She soon meets strange students from a private school that hold a shocking secret, one that makes her question everything she knows about herself, and the mysterious Russian she's falling in love with.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! As promised, here is my new story! I can't begin to explain how excited I am to start this up again! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. Any correlation to another author's story is pure coincidence. Much of the story is made up and does not go along with VA.**

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Faces passed and voices carried a monotone pitch around me in what felt like slow motion. The more people came to share condolences, the further I sank into the leather couch in what was my mother's living room. I stared straight ahead at the picture of her positioned next to the window across the room. Her brown eyes stared back at me, and her smile held no truth. Today was exactly one week since her passing. I took a deep breath and stretched my neck. I looked at the clock. I exhaled a sigh of relief, the memorial was over.

"Rose?" a hand touched my shoulder gently and I looked to see who it belonged to. My aunt Sonya, my mother's sister. "Would you mind helping me clean the food up on the table? Our guests are leaving." She gave me a sad smile, her eyes brimmed with tears. I nodded and slowly stood. I smoothed my black dress and set off to the kitchen. "Are you packed? I hate to make you leave so soon, but Vic has to get back to work, and I have my thesis due Monday morning. I couldn't push it any farther." She smiled apologetically.

"I know." I sighed. "I'm packed. Vic said he'd help me load my stuff into the truck tonight." I was leaving my home in Montana to live with Aunt Sonya and Uncle Victor in their home in the small town of Belmont, Maine. I'd been there a few time over the summers as a child. I didn't care for the constant cold and rain, not to mention the never ending cloud of fog that wrapped around your body.

"You know what? Go ahead and go get Vic now. I can finish up in here. The sooner you get done, the sooner you can rest." She batted my leg with a kitchen towel.

"Thanks." I replied, and set off to say goodbye to my home for the last time.

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I was nudged awake by a gentle hand on my knee. "Rose, honey, we're here." I slowly opened my eyes and looked out the window. Sure enough, Belmont came into view. It'd been so long since I had been there I could hardly remember what it looked like. The trees were starting to die as it was early October. The sky was pale grey, making everything around us seem dull and lifeless. Old buildings from the Historical District surrounded us. Most of them were abandoned, and the few that weren't mostly housed warehouses and dingy bars.

"We'll drive by Belmont High School before we head home." Victor said. I met his eyes in the rearview mirror and he smiled. He glanced at the clock on the dash. "The students should be getting out as we pass." The old buildings became fewer as Victor made a right turn.

Shops littered with people lined us on both sides. There was a small café next to the traffic light that had small tables outside. Friends sat around them holding mugs, laughing loudly at one another. I shivered seeing them outside. It was freezing! After a few more twists and turns, I saw the high school. I leaned over to the other side to look out the window. The building was old, much like most of them here. The brick had an unattractive yellow tint. A flagpole held a faded American Flag, along with a school flag. "GO RAVENS!" it read. Victor slowed down as a hoard of students filed out, running down the stone stairs.

"What do you think?" Sonya asked.

"It's," I trailed off, looking for the right word. "Small." I finally managed.

"Don't worry, Rose. You'll make friends fast." Victor said encouragingly. I looked away, my anxiety spiking. School started over a month ago. The students already had friend groups, as most of them have known each other all throughout their lives.

"We have a meeting with the principal tomorrow at seven-thirty A.M. to get your classes figured out." Sonya said.

"Great." I muttered.

About five minutes later, we pulled into the driveway of my new home. It was just as I remembered. They had a small yellow house with a wrap-around porch. The big willow tree in the front held the same swing it did when I was a child. The inside was cute, and smelled of cinnamon. The dark hardwood floors looked worn. The front door opened up into a small entryway, with stairs going up to the left. The living room had an inviting fireplace.

"You can go up and check out your room. It's upstairs, last door down the hall." Victor pointed to the stairs.

I nodded and hauled my duffel bag up the stairs. I opened the door to a surprisingly large room. A queen bed was pushed against the wall directly in front of the door. A dresser and vanity set were lined along the wall on the right. The room was painted a soft purple. To the left, a large window overlooked a large backyard lines with trees. Victor and Sonya lived on the edge of town, so they had no back neighbors. I sat on the window seat and leaned my head against the cold glass. I didn't understand how my life suddenly got flipped upside down. It seemed so unfair I had to start all over. I never had problems making friends, but I didn't want new ones. I wanted my old life back. I wanted my mom back.

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 **How do you feel so far? PLEASE review and let me know! I will try to update every week the best I can. If you have any suggestions feel free to PM me! I do promise I won't ghost you guys again! I hope you're having a wonderful day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**With my break off work today, I have a lot of time for writing, so here's chapter 2! Enjoy!**

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The loud beeping from my alarm woke me abruptly. I groaned and rolled to shut it off. I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Nerves began making their way into my stomach. I didn't know what to expect from this new place, and that thought scared me. I took a quick shower, then sat in front of my vanity's mirror. My dark brown hair fell around my shoulders. When it dried, it would turn into waves that fell down to my hips. I sighed, and assessed myself. I had an olive complexion, one I got from my father. My eyes were a chocolate color, lined with heavy lashes. My lips were plump. I knew I was pretty, but my self-consciousness kicked in.

I decided to go with a more natural look. I lined my eyes with eyeliner, put on some mascara, and some light pink lip gloss. I stood in front of my closet contemplating what I should wear. I pulled on a pair of dark wash jeans and an olive green sweater. It was oversized, and hung off my shoulders. I grabbed some black ankle booties and set off downstairs.

"Good morning sweetie." Sonya held out a cup of coffee and I gladly accepted." How did you sleep?"

I shrugged. "Not bad." The truth is, I barely slept at all. I couldn't stop worrying about the day ahead of me.

"Good." She grinned. She gestured to the table full of pastries, eggs, bacon, and juices. "I'm not sure what you like for breakfast so I made you whatever I could find."

I smiled. "That's very nice of you. Thank you." I picked up a blueberry scone. "I think I'll take this to go." Usually I could out eat any grown man around, but the butterflies that filled my stomach left no room for breakfast.

Sonya looked at me with concern. "Sure." She replied. "Come on. I have a meeting at eight o'clock so we need to get going." I followed her out of the house and got in her Escalade. Victor's truck was gone, he must have already left. He was an EMT, so he was rarely home.

The drive to school was silent. When we arrived, students littered the grounds. I tried to avoid their gazes, but I felt their eyes burning into my back. It wasn't all the time Belmont got new students. The interior of the school was extremely dated. The brown lockers were old, and beginning to rust. The linoleum floor smelled of lemon. I followed Sonya down the hallway and into the offices.

"Hello, Sonya." An elderly woman behind the front desks smiled. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, and laugh lines appeared next to her mouth. Her grey hair was tied into a bun on her head. She turned her gaze to me. "You must be Rose." She reached a hand across the table. "I'm Alberta."

"I am." I shook her hand.

"It's lovely to meet you, dear." She said.

"Likewise." I smiled.

"Principal Kirova is expecting you. Go on back." She gestured to the door behind her.

I took the lead and headed back. After a knock on the door, a woman opened it. She was in her late thirties, if I had to guess. Her black hair was in a tight braid down her back. Her dark eyes met mine, and I felt a sense of intimidation. Her lips were colored with bright red lipstick that made her teeth shine as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Welcome." She pointed to two leather chairs in front of her desk. "You can both take a seat."

"Actually, I have to get going." Sonya looked at her watch. "Will you be okay to go over classes without me, Rose?" she looked hopeful.

"Yeah, no problem." I said.

"Okay, great." Relief flooded her face. She kissed my forehead and rushed out.

"Alright," Kirova said, shuffling through a folder with name on it. "You seem to have quite the GPA. We'll continue you in AP classes and as for electives, I have you in gym and cooking. Will this be a problem?"

I shook my head. "No, that's fine."

"Great." She pulled out a copy of my schedule and handed it to me. "I'm sorry about the circumstances that brought you here." My throat caught and I looked down. "We have grief counselors available if you need. Now, there's no information about a father in your file. Is he also deceased?"

"I have no idea." I looked up. She was staring at me with an expression that I wasn't sure was concern or distaste. "I never knew him."

"How tragic." I was almost certain the look was distaste now. "Well, here is a map of the school and forms for your teachers to sign. Please bring them back at the end of the day. Alberta will show you out." She pointed to the door without looking up.

"Good luck, dear." Alberta grinned. "Bring those forms back to me before you go home." She pointed to the papers I was gripping.

"Okay. Thank you." I took a deep breath and headed out into the hallway.

The hallways were now packed with students. All at once, heads turned and settled their eyes on me. I glanced down at my schedule and kept moving. I had AP History first. I pulled out my map and followed the way to the classroom. As soon as I rounded the corner, I ran right into something hard. Everything I was holding in my arms scattered around my feet. I bent to grab them. When I looked up, I met two green eyes.

"Wow." The boy gasped. He had a dark complexion, and had dark brown hair that curled around his ears. We stood at the same time. He was tall, but not so much that he towered over me.

"What?" I asked, taking the papers he grabbed out of his hands.

"I just wasn't expecting to see someone so beautiful. I mean, we have some beautiful women at this school, but goddamn you are exceptional. I'm Adrian." He flashed a set of white teeth at me. "And you are?"

"Leaving." I smirked.

"Don't worry, we'll meet again." He called after me. I rolled my eyes. Two minutes into my first day and I already meet who I assume is the school player.

Once I reached the classroom, the door was blocked by a group of girls talking.

"Excuse me?" I tried to get their attention. When they didn't reply, I tried again. "Hey, can you move please?" After they still didn't answer, I tapped on one of the girls' shoulder. "Hi, if you don't move, I'll move you myself." I smiled sweetly when she looked at me with a shocked expression. "Thanks, doll. Cute shoes." I added and walked through their circle.

I ignored their whispers. I scanned the room looking for the teacher. He was a man not much taller than me. He was bent over a stack of papers, writing something at his desk. "Hi, I'm Rose Hathaway. Can you sign this for me, please?"

When he looked up, he frowned. "Hathaway? As in Sonya and Janine Hathaway?" My eyes widened, not expecting his comment.

"You know my family?" I asked.

He ripped the form out of my hand and scribbled a signature. "Of course I do." He scoffed. "Let's hope you're different." He handed it back. "Find a seat." He stood and walked to the front of the room. I stood there, shocked. What the hell was his problem?

I found an empty seat in the back next to a boy with jet black hair. He held his head up with one hand, a bored expression on his face. He absentmindedly scribbled on his notebook. When I tried to lean over to see what he was drawing, he slammed his notebook shut. His ice-blue eyes stared at me, his mouth turning down.

"Didn't you ever hear it's not nice to stare?" I snapped.

"Didn't you ever hear you're a bitch?" He clapped back.

"Oh, once or twice." I said, flipping through my history book. "You wouldn't be the first." I winked, and he smirked.

"Well, good. I wouldn't ever want to make a lady cry."

I snorted. "You'd have to do a lot more than that to make me cry."

"I'm Christian." He held a hand out.

I grabbed it, and instantly pulled back. His hand was burning hot. "Jesus, your skin is hot. Stick your hand in any fire lately?"

He laughed. "I'm just hot blooded I guess."

"Okay, sparky." I smiled. "I'm Rose."

"Would you care to shut up, or are you more interested in making friends? Not that Mr. Ozera would be a good choice." The teacher snapped.

"Ah, Stan." Christian cooed. "You sure know how to make me blush." He batted his eyes at Stan, and the room erupted in laughter.

"I hate my job." Stan muttered as he turned back to the lesson he was preparing.

"Don't worry about him." Christian whispered to me. "He's had a stick up his ass since the day he born."

After what was the most boring lecture of ow yomy life, I nearly sprinted out the door when the bell rang.

"Rose!" Christian called behind me. I turned to see him running after me. "Come find me in the dining room at lunch and you can sit with my friends and me."

"That would be great." I smiled. "Thanks."

The next few classes were uneventful, though the teachers were much nicer than Stan was. After dropping my books off at my locker, I headed to find the dining room. It was located on the first floor next to the gym. The whole left side of the room was lined with windows. The natural light coming through left a warm feel. I got in line behind the students and set off to find Christian. There were circular tables all around the room with students talking loudly. I scanned them looking for Christian's black hair. Finally, I saw him across the room.

"Hey, Rose," he smiled when I approached.

"Hi" I said, and sat down next to him.

Across the table was a pretty girl with long blonde hair. "Hi, I'm Sydney." she was beautiful, and had a gentle voice. Next to her was a small, pixie like girl with short blonde ringlets. "And this is Mia."

"It's nice to meet you both." I said.

"Likewise." Mia smiled. "We're going to the pier tonight for a bonfire if you'd like to come?" She offered.

"That would be great. Thanks." I felt relieved. It was nice that I already made some friends. Maybe this place wouldn't suck so much after all.

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 **Leave me a review and let me know how you feel so far! I sense a hot Russian coming.. :)**

 **I hope you're having a wonderful day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the late update :( I went out of town and got stuck in a blizzard. I hope this chapter makes up for it.**

 **Enjoy!**

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I stood in front of my closet staring at my selection of clothes. This would be my first gathering with my new friends and I needed to dress to impress. What did people wear to bonfires, anyway? The weather showed the temperature outside to be a whopping forty degrees. I decided on layering with a dark flannel and a light denim jacket over my sweater. I pulled out a beige Carhart beanie and fluffed my hair so my dark waves were more pronounced. Moving onto my makeup, I did a smokey with a darker plum lipstick. Once I deemed myself acceptable, I headed downstairs.

"Going somewhere?" Sonya asked. She looked over the top of her laptop and assessed my outfit. "You look nice." She smiled.

I looked down at my shoes. "Thanks. Some kids from school invited me to a bonfire at the beach. I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind driving me?" I asked.

"I have a lot of work to do, so you are more than welcome to take the car." She reached into her purse and tossed the keys at me. "Be home by one please." With a nod she returned to her work, and I ran out to the car.

My nerves began to settle in. I was always a people person, but I had no idea what to expect with these people. I started the engine and pulled up the address Mia gave me into the GPS. The beach was about thirty minutes north of Belmont. The clouds in the sky were a menacing dark gray. I prayed they didn't open up and rain down on us. Luckily, the wind had died down, so the only chill came from the crisp fall air. I joined the line of cars on the interstate and headed to my destination. As I was pulling into the parking lot, my phone chimed. It was Christian,

 _Hey, u here?_

 _Yes, just pulled in._

 _Great, head toward the pier. You'll see the fire underneath._

Locking my car, I scanned the dark water for the light of the fire. I could hear distant whooping and laughter. I followed the noise about a quarter mile down the beach. The sound of rock music got louder the closer I came. I saw bodies littering the beach, and lots of them. I suddenly realized this wasn't a small gathering, it was a party. I took in my surroundings. Next to the pier was a small cluster of shops, an arcade, and a small Ferris wheel. Around the fire, I saw Christian and Mia with some other people I didn't know laughing at something Christian said.

"Rose!" Mia grinned when she saw me coming. "I'm so happy you made it." She wrapped her arms around me, and my nerves instantly dissipated.

"Took you long enough." Christian smirked. "Did you get lost?"

"Excuse me, some of us haven't lived here our whole lives." I teased.

"You're right. What's that like, Mia?" Christian turned and glared in a mocking tone.

"Cold and boring." Mia replied. "You're lucky you came into it later."

"Oh, I didn't know you weren't born here." I said. "Where are you from?"

"Maybe I'll tell ya one day." Christian winked. "Can I grab you a drink?" Before I coujld answer, he was off.

"He'll warm up and let you in a little more." Mia said. "He's been through a lot. It takes him some time to open up, though he's doing better with you than most."

"That's him being open?" I asked, shocked. "He's kind of a shit."

Mia laughed. "Yeah, he is. Trust me, it could be worse." She looked around and checked her phone. "Ugh, where the hell is Sydney? I swear to god if she's with Adrian I'll kill her."

"Fuck boy Adrian?" I asked.

"The very one." Mia nodded. "You've had the pleasure of meeting him, I take it?"

"I don't think I'd call it a pleasure, but yes, we've met." I scanned the beach, peering at the faces all around me. "I had no idea there would be this many people."

"It's the only thing we have to do here." Christian appeared behind me, holding three cups.

"There's more to do than Montana, trust me." I took a sip of my drink. The taste of vodka was so strong.

"I believe it." Christian agreed.

"Rose, do you want to come with me to look for Sydney?" mia asked. "She should have been here thirty minutes ago."

"Yeah, sure." I grabbed my bag and handed it to Christian. "Would you mind?"

"If I do?" his eyebrows shot up.

"Then I guess you're SOL." I chuckled and followed Mia away from the fire.

We weaved in and out of everyone at the party. I scanned faces looking for the familiar blonde hair and dark blue eyes. The party was growing bigger as more and more of our classmates showed up. After about ten minutes of searching and no luck, we began looking for Adrian instead. If anyone knew where she was, it had to be him, according to Mia.

"I'll go look under the pier if you'll take the top." Mia called, running down to the water.

I followed the boardwalk to the top of the sand hill. When I reached the top, I got a better look at the shops surrounding the Ferris wheel. There were multiple food stands, a gift shop, and a surf shop. The arcade was empty, as it was almost eleven o'clock. I checked it anyway, only for it to come up a loss. I turned to the pier and walked to the end. Sydney wasn't there, but it was quiet, so I stayed anyway. The water was dark, as there was no moon to shine off the waves. The water hitting the wood made the pier sway. I closed my eyes, breathing in the sea air. For a moment, I forgot everything. I forgot about my mom, about leaving my old home, and about my new home. My phone chimed, breaking me out of my trance.

 _Found her. She was about to lose her tongue down Adrian's throat._

 _Haha, good thing you found her._

I returned my phone to my pocket and smiled. I had to admit, I had a pretty good day today.

A loud shriek made me jump, and I whipped around. A group of boys were carrying a small blonde to the edge of the pier. "Don't you do it!" she screamed. "Jesse, I'm serious!" the one I presumed to be Jesse held her over the edge, and tossed her.

"Oh my god." I gasped, and looked over. A well-built guy with shaggy, curly brown hair caught her. He broke out into laughter when she punched his chest. When he set the girl down, she looked up and met my gaze. She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was tied in a neat bun, and her eyes were a piercing green. Her skin was so flawless it looked like it almost glowed. She smiled at me, flashing a set of brilliant white teeth. The rest of the group jumped over the ledge, landing next to them. The girl whispered something into the brunette boy's ear, and he turned to look at me. Embarrassed to be seen staring, I looked away. I jogged to the end of the pier to go find my friends.

Christian rounded the corner, nearly making me jump out of my skin. "Where have you been?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I was just watching the water for a while, then some insane guys threw a girl off the pier." I pointed to where they had all jumped.

"What?" Christian exclaimed, running to the other side of the dock.

"She's okay." I said. "That one caught her." I gestured to the burly boy.

"Well that explains it." Christian muttered.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"They're from St. Vladamr's." he explained. "It's a private school in the middle of the forest about forty miles outside of town. They're trouble."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"There's something off about them" Christian said. "Come on, lets go." He grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"Hey!" Someone shouted behind us.

We turned and saw the one who threw the girl, Jesse, coming towards us. His hair was a dirty blonde color, and his eyes were almost gray. He was wearing a sweater vest with a nice shirt and tie under it over a pair of jeans.

"You guys got room for a few more?" he held his arms opened and smiled.

Christians eyes narrowed. "It's a big beach." He said. "I'm sure you could find somewhere else."

Jesse laughed. "I like it here." He stepped up to Christian, his eyes shining with humor. "What's the problem, buddy?" he turned his gaze to me. "What do you say, pretty girl? Can we join you?"

"Don't talk to her, and get out of my face." Christian said through gritted teeth.

"Don't tell me-" jesse started, but was interrupted.

"Jesse, stop." The small blonde appeared next to him. Her arm wrapped around his waist, and she pulled him back. "Let's just find somewhere else." Jesse nodded and walked back to his group of friends. "I'm sorry about that." She said. Her voice was like velvet, and I chuckled when I noticed Christian melting.

"Oh, n-no." he stammered. "It-it's fine. Really." His ran his hand through his hair and laughed nervously.

"I'm Lissa." She smiled, holding a hand out. When I shook her hand, she immediately pulled back.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking from my hand to her.

"Um, nothing." She shook her head. "Sorry, your hands are just cold." She said, not meeting my gaze.

"Okay." I said slowly. "Sorry?"

"I better go." She said, and moved quickly back to her group. With one more look at us, she disappeared around the corner.

"Wow." Christian breathed.

"I know." I said. "She's weird."

"Weirdly perfect." He said, staring after where she vanished.

"Okay, now I think it's you who's the weird one." I laughed. "I need to use the bathroom. I'll be back." I took my purse from his hands and headed off to the restrooms.

I didn't like the way Lissa looked at me, like there was something wrong with me. Before I reached the restroom, I heard whispers. I peeked around the corner, and saw four rather large men standing in a line in front of the three boys. Lissa was behind the men, and looked worried.

Three of the, were standing stone still, all in the same uniform. The tallest of the group, about 6'3", paced back and forth in front of him. "How could you be so stupid?" he hissed. His voice was laced with a heavy Russian accent. "Not only did you take a Moroi outside the wards, you took a _princess_ outside the wards."

 _What the hell is a Moroi?_ I thought. _Princess? What the fuck did I walk into?_

"You better have a damn good excuse." He said, his voice rising. "Not only did you put Vasilissa and yourselves in danger, you put those kids in danger as well." Okay, this was getting strange, and was none of my business. When I stepped back, a piece of driftwood snapped beneath my feet. I froze. All at once, their heads turned to look at me. I gasped and ran around the corner.

A hand reached out and grabbed my coat, pulling me back. The tall man slammed me against the wall. "What did you hear?" he demanded.

"Let go of me!" I yelled. He grabbed my chin and tilted my head to look at him. When my eyes met his, I almost lost my breath. His eyes were a beautiful chocolate color, and his long hair was tied in a bun at the nape of his neck. His jawline was tense, his teeth grinding against each other. His breath was sweet, momentarily paralyzing me.

"Answer my question." He yelled back.

"I didn't hear anything I give a shit about." I spat at him. It was a lie, however. I was extremely curious about what I had heard, though not curious enough to stay in his grasp. "Now let me go before I kick you where the sun doesn't shine." I hissed.

Amusement flashed in his dark eyes, which pissed me off even more. Mustering all of my strength, I shoved him as hard as I could manage. He lost his balance, and took a step backwards. He stared me, shocked. I didn't blame him, I was too.

"What the hell." He breathed. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Dimitri." A man said behind him. "We have to get back."

Dimitri nodded in his direction, and looked at me once more before he turned on his heel and left. I ran back to the fire, my heart pounding. I said quick goodbyes to my friends and locked myself in the car. What the hell just happened?

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 **Enter Dimitri ;) what do you think is going on with these strange kids she met, and why do you think they're so intrigued with Rose? Review and let me know! I hope you're all having a wonderful day :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, everyone! Due to my lack of an update last week, I'm giving you another one :)**

 **Thank you all so much for your reviews, I really appreciate them. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Vampire Academy is owned by Richelle Mead. The idea of this story is owned by me.**

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Once the bell rang for my free period, I hustled to the library. I barely slept the night before. Dimitri's deep brown eyes haunted me every time I closed my eyes. I couldn't get the events of the night out of my head. There was so much that confused me. I had so many questions, and no idea where to begin searching for answers. I couldn't stop thinking the look of shock I received from both Lissa and Dimitri. What was it about me that had them so unsure of me?

I found a computer in the back of the room away from everyone else. In the search engine I typed "St. Vladamir's Private School". To my surprise, several locations came up. There were schools spread throughout the world, ranging from Russia, Italy, France, Japan, and the United States. Maine was the only location in the US, and I clicked on the link. There wasn't much information on the website. A picture of the grounds and the schools was the only verifying factor. The school was dated, though the grounds were beautiful. There were dorms on opposite ends of the campus, and the walkways were lit with lamps. It almost seemed as though the classes were held at night. I frowned. How strange.

The only information for contact was an email address. Next, I tried "Moroi". Several pages on urban legends came up, though none seemed creditable. I clicked on the first one. My heart dropped at the first picture. A drawing of pale man with bright red eyes held a corpse of a person, who seemed to be drained of blood. Blood ran down the mouth of the creature, his smile sending chills down my spine.

 _Moroi are only able to use their abilities for good, never for personal gain or manipulation. The elements are meant to center each Moroi, not use them as weapons. Moroi are often peaceful, though they need protection by the Dhampir race from the evil race, the Strigoi. Strigoi have the ability to turn a Moroi, though Moroi can also turn themselves by draining the blood of their victims._

My jaw dropped. What the actual fuck? There's no way that what I heard could be related to this. There had to be some other explanation, until one sentence caught my eye.

 _The twelve royal families are the ones who require the most protection, as one day one of them may rule again. Strigoi armies set their sights on these families, hoping to bring the Moroi race to an end all together._

My hands were shaking as I closed the tab. I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath. Vampires. This is actually suggesting vampires are real. No way. No freaking way! Vampires only existed in movies and books. They're fantasy creatures, not real life. As much as I wanted to believe this, there was a pit in my stomach telling me it was all true. I needed to find out for sure, and to do that, I needed to go see this school for myself.

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"Are you fucking crazy?" Christian exclaimed. After I did my research, I hunted him down and asked him to join me on my mission.

"No, I like to think I'm actually quite sane. Come on, Sparky. I need a getaway car, and a witness in case some crazy shit goes down." He threw his hands in the air and started to speak. "Besides, I don't know this area like you do." I pleaded. If I wanted to get to the bottom of this, I was going to need help.

"Why do you want to break in anyway?" he crossed his arms. "It's a private school, meaning we can't get in without security knowing we're there."

"I don't need to get into the actual school. I just want to see what's going on the outside." I explained. "Something is off about those people, and I want to know what it is."

Christian groaned. "I _will_ regret this, but fine. I will help. But you owe me." He pointed a finger at me.

"I know. Thank you." I meant it. I was truly grateful he was willing to risk his ass for my crazy plot. "I'll text you tonight when it's time, and I'll meet you outside."

He nodded. "Alright. Do I need to buy a ski mask, or is casual dress okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Can you not be a pain in the ass for one night?"

"If you want me to do this, you have to deal with it." He held a hand out. "Deal?" reluctantly, I shook his hand. He had a deal.

I thought back to the picture of the school. There was a heavy metal gate about twenty feet high around the premises. I just needed to be able to sneak through the woods quiet enough that I could reach the gate without being spotted. All I needed was to be there long enough to try to overhear a conversation with the students or staff to see if what I was praying wasn't true, is. I left out the part about vampires to Christian. I figured I would wait till we were nearly to the school to bring that one up. After school, I decided I would walk home to try to clear my head, and finalize my plan for tonight. I put in my headphones to drown out the noise of cars passing by. It would take me a good half hour to get home, so I had plenty of time to think.

How did my life get so complicated? A year ago I was planning my future with my mom in it, and now I didn't even have her to turn to. As hard as I tried to block out the details, they were invading my mind now. Where I was sitting when I found out, what I was wearing, my exact emotions, they all came flooding back. I wish I could talk to her. I didn't realize tears were falling down my face until one graced the bow of my lips. I quickly wiped them away and shook my head. I needed to focus. I couldn't let my trauma get in the way of what I was about to do.

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As soon as the sun set, we were on our way. I was anxious, and I could see Christian was too. The trees whizzed by as we followed the interstate out of town.

"What are you thinking about?" Christian glanced at me from the driver's seat.

"There's some more to this that I haven't told you." I started slowly.

His mouth set in a frown. "Okay," he paused. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath, and told him everything. I told him about the men in the uniforms. I told about Dimitri, and how he was shocked when I was able to push him away from me. I told him I felt like there was something off about myself, and last, and I told him about the Moroi families, the Strigoi, and the Dhampir protectors. When I was finished, leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I sounded crazy. When a few minutes passed and Christian didn't speak, I opened one eye and peeked at him. He was staring straight ahead, his jaw set in a frustrated line.

"Christian?" I whispered.

"You know how crazy this sounds, right?" he asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"Good. Just checking." He cracked a smile and I punched his arm.

"I'm being dead serious." I said. His smile was agitating me.

"I know you are. It's lucky for you I happen to like vampires, and have always wanted to meet one." He joked.

I glared at him, hoping my eyes would burn a whole through his stupid head. "I hate you."

"We're here." He said, nodding to the one direction dirt road ahead. He pulled off to the side and parked behind a bush so the car wouldn't be seen. I didn't realize I'd been talking so long.

I pulled on my hood, and followed Christian into the trees. He had a dimly lit flashlight so we wouldn't trip, and wouldn't be seen as well. My mind was racing with a million thoughts all at once, but I was too nervous to speak. I was so close to finding out the truth. Once my fingers began to tremble, I tightened my grip on my jacket pockets. After another ten minutes into our hike, I could hear music. Christian's arm shot out to keep me from moving forward as a guard walked by. We waited until we couldn't hear his footsteps, and continued forward.

A light ahead started to shine through the branches. We found a bush to settle into, and the school came into view. It was absolutely astonishing. Dorm rooms stood to the left of us, and a big gymnasium to the right. Several guards littered the yard, watching both the campus and the gate. Right in front of us were about thirty students lined up in five rows. I scanned the bodies, and gasped. There he was. Dimitri stood center line in front of them, shouting directions. The students followed his movements while he did stretches. Music coming through the speakers held a fast rhythm their bodies were keeping up with.

"Find you partner and space out." Dimitri called. His voice sent chills up my spine. "One of you will play a Strigoi, and the other a Dhampir. Once you successfully stake your opponent, switch." He ordered. The students playing the role of Dhampirs held plastic stakes in their hands.

"Still think I'm crazy?" I whispered to Christian.

"What the hell am I seeing?" he asked. The shock in his voice was apparent. I couldn't help but smirk. That'll teach him to question me again. I watched them in awe as they fought. Their movements were so graceful, yet lethal. They were being trained to kill. One after another, the Dhampirs staked their Strigoi.

"This is incredible." I breathed.

"Come on, let's go." Christian tugged my sleeve. "I've seen enough." After one long last glance at Dimitri, I followed him back into the trees.

Once we walked a few feet, Christian's phone rang. He fumbled for it in his pockets.

"Turn it off, you idiot!" I hissed. I whipped my head around. Through the bush, I could see a guard walking to the fence.

"I'm trying! I can't get it out of my pocket." He looked up, panicked.

"Forget it. Run!" I took off in the direction of the car, Christian on my heels. The ringing finally stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief. Things seemed to be looking up, right before I ran face first into a guard's chest.

"What are you two doing outside the gate?" he sneered. He yanked my hood down, and searched my face. He yanked down Christian's next, and gasped. "What the hell are you doing with a human here?" he looked back and forth between us.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You heard me. Why is there a human boy here?" he demanded.

Christian and I looked at each other. Oh. Shit.

"Fine. If you don't want to answer me, maybe you'll talk to Guardian Belikov." He grabbed the back of our coats and hauled us forward. No no no no no. I couldn't face him, not right now. He scanned a key card, and a door clinked open on the gate. He shoved us forward to where Dimitri was gathering the plastic stakes into a bag. "Belikov!" he barked. Dimitri turned, and surprise, mixed with anger flashed across his face. All at once, it went stone blank. "I found these two outside the gate. She was trying to run away with a human." He said.

I snorted, and they both glared at me. I looked down at my feet. "She's not a student here." Dimitri said.

"What?" the guard asked. "What do you mean?"

Dimitri pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath. "I mean, she doesn't know anything." He said. His eyes burned into mine. I wanted to shrink down to nothing under his glare, but instead I held my head high and stared right back. "Take the boy to Sonya." The guard nodded, and hauled Christian off.

"Where the hell are you taking him?" I shrieked. "Look, this wasn't his idea. It was all mine."

"I don't have any trouble believing that." He muttered. "Come on. You and I are going to have a talk."

* * *

 **What do you all think?**

 **I know that I haven't mentioned how Janine died, or much about her at all, but there is a reason for that. Be patient, all questions will be answered soon enough! I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Have a wonderful weekend!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys! The past few months have been insane, and exhausting. I'm so sorry I went MIA. I know cliffhangers are bitches to be left on. Also, last chapter I realized I referred to Dimitri's colleague as "Sonya" when I meant to introduce her as Tasha. Forgive me for any confusion this caused! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

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I followed Dimitri for what felt like ages through the brightly lit campus. Eyes of students drifted to me every time we passed. Curious stares followed us as we walked. Some whispered to one another, and others pointed. I held my head high to preserve what little dignity I had left. I noticed uniforms they all wore. Boys in sweater vests, ties, and pants; girls in the same, other than some in skirts and knee length socks. I returned my gaze back to Dimitri. His face was stone cold, though I could tell he was worried by the way his jaw was set.

We entered one of the buildings through large, wooden double doors. We took a few staircases up to the fourth floor, and finally Dimitri gestured for me to enter an office. I scanned the room. There was a large mahogany desk, with a beautifully sculpted chair to match behind it. Hanging on the wall behind him was a flag, holding a family tree. The Royals, I presumed. There was a large bookshelf encasing hundreds of books. I couldn't help but smirk at the few westerns I saw. Dimitri shut the door.

"Sit." He ordered. I looked at the two chairs seated directly across from his desk and crossed my arms.

"I'd rather not." I raised my eyebrows. "I don't like being told what to do. Especially by people I don't know."

He pinched the bridge of his nose again. I got the feeling he did that a lot. He looked up to the ceiling and let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't have the time, or patience for pleasantries." He paused. "Although you have been less than pleasant."

I smirked. "Hey, thanks Comrade. Mind if I call you Comrade?"

"I'd rather you didn't." he glared. His posture was hadn't relaxed since we entered the room. "Now _sit."_ This time, I followed his directions. It was clear I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I better just get this over with and get back to Christian.

"Where did you have that guard take Christian?" I asked. I was praying he wasn't in too much trouble. "It was my idea to sneak in. He was just along for the ride."

"He's going to see my colleague. Then he'll be escorted back to his car." Dimitri sat across from me and folded his hands under his chin. "Now explain what you were doing here."

"There's something weird about you and these people, and I came to find out what it is." I crossed my arms again. No sense in lying. I was already busted.

"So you did hear something last night at the pier." He clearly stressed, his eyebrows pulled together.

"That depends. Was I not supposed to?" I teased. I said I'd be honest, I never said I'd be easy on him.

"Look, your answers, and the speed of them, depend on whether or not you go home tonight." He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. His muscles bulged underneath his shirt, and I was momentarily distracted. He noticed and smirked.

"Excuse me?" I gasped, once I composed myself. "You can't hold me here. That's kidnapping." I shrieked.

"I don't think you understand the severity of the situation you just got yourself into." He said. "I just want to know what you know." His eyes searched my face.

Finally, I sighed. "I don't know anything." I admitted. "That's why I'm here. Though getting caught wasn't part of the plan. I was hoping to get my answers and leave."

"What answers?" he asked. His accent was so smooth, I had to fight closing my eyes to soak it in.

"What are you?" I whispered.

The question caught him off guard. "I can't believe you don't even know what you are." His face was pained, the confusion he was feeling was very evident.

"I'm sorry? What do you mean what _I_ am?" chills spread across my body, though I could feel sweat forming on my forehead.

"First, why don't you at least tell me your name." he said. He sat his hands in his lap.

"Rose." I told him reluctantly.

"Well, Rose, you're a Dhampir." He stated. Hearing the words come out of his mouth confirmed what I was afraid of. Vampires are real. And he was suggesting I am one.

I shook my head. "No." my head was spinning. This was a joke. No, this was crazy. These people were crazy. "No, I'm not. Vampires aren't real."

"I didn't believe it myself at first. I've been training since I was a child. No human could ever knock me back like you did. That's when I knew I was right." He stood, slowly walking around the desk.

"This doesn't make sense. These things don't exist." I exclaimed.

"Well, they do. _You_ exist." He stared into my eyes.

"Are you one, too?" I asked. He nodded.

"How can you not know what you are? Who are your parents?" he sat on the edge of the desk, directly in front of me. I felt so small under his height.

"I don't know my dad." I said. I looked down at my hands. I was clutching them together to keep them from shaking. "My mom is Janine. She died two weeks ago. I live with my aunt Sonya now." How could they not tell me? Did they even know? Of course they knew.

"What is your mother's maiden name?" Dimitri's eyes widened.

"Hathaway." I said, slowly.

Dimitri looked down at the floor and let out a sigh. "I knew of your mother. She was a very good guardian. She was thought of very highly. Word got out she got pregnant, then she just disappeared. There have been people looking for her for a very long time." He ran a hand down his tired face.

"What?" My voice broke. How could my mom keep this from me?

"Your aunt has claimed for years she never knew where she was." Dimitri said.

"But we've come to visit so many times." I argued. "How could she be missing?"

"Your mom wasn't considered one of the very best for nothing. She knew exactly who to avoid." He got up and walked to the door. "Come on, let me take you home."

"No, I have more questions." I gripped the chair tightly. I wasn't going anywhere.

"I'll answer your questions at a later time. Your aunt is wondering where you are." He tossed me my cell phone, which had six missed calls from Sonya. Reluctantly, I followed him. My legs felt like jelly. I was a mixture of angry, scared, and astounded.

The drive home was silent. I had so many questions, but I didn't know how to ask them. How could I? My world was just flipped upside down. Again. Dimitri pulled up to my house and shut off the engine. "I'll find you soon, and we'll talk about this. I promise." He reached over and grabbed my hand. Electricity flowed through his hand and into mine, and I pulled back. I looked at him, shocked. I could tell he felt it, too. Our eyes held each other's gaze for what was only ten seconds, but felt like an eternity. He cleared his throat, and looked forward. I quickly got out of the car and ran into my house.

"Rose, where the hell have you been? I've been calling for hours. I'm really trying to be a cool aunt here, but you have to work with me." Her phone in her hand read past midnight.

I walked past her, and right up the stairs. I fell into bed and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

 **What did you think? Let me know! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! My computer broke, and now it's FINALLY fixed. I am SO sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for it. I love you all for keeping up with me. You're saints.**

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The next morning, I was dressed and out the door before Sonya was out of the shower. I didn't feel like getting questioned, especially by someone who knew what I- what _we_ were. How could I go my entire life without knowing this? There was a whole other world I was a part of and I had no idea. Vampires were only supposed to be a scary story. I grab my backpack straps tightly while I walk through the rain. The fog and cold weather were only making things worse, but Christian wasn't answering his phone and I couldn't ask Sonya for a ride while I was avoiding her.

For a second I let my mind wander to Dimitri. His intense eyes, and the way they seemed to look right through me. I felt so small under his stare. No one ever made me feel small, though my height most definitely qualified me as small, and I didn't like it. As much as I didn't want to admit it, however, he is absolutely beautiful. Thinking of his accent sends a shiver up my spine. I shake my head and push myself forward towards school. I need to find Christian, and I need to find him fast. I bust through the doors, and run to his locker. He's standing with the locker door open, leafing through his backpack.

"What the hell are you avoiding me for?" I yank on his hoodie and pull him to face me. He yelps, and pulls himself free.

"What would I possibly avoid you for? We're best friends. And best friends almost get each other killed by mythical creatures, right? Oh, wait, no. That doesn't happen!" he runs his hand down his face. His eyes are tired, and lined with bags. "And you're one of them, aren't you?" his voice is barely a whisper.

I swallow the lump in my throat. "Yes. I don't know what any of this means. I don't know anything. The guard that took me, Dimitri, told me very little. He gave me a ride home and I haven't heard from him since. He said he would find me soon and explain everything to me." I look around and find the school filling with students. I turn back to him. "How did you get out of there?" I ask.

Christian shudders. "They took me to a lovely woman named Tasha, who became much less lovely after she threated to snap my neck if she found me on school grounds again. When I laughed at her, she about broke my fingers. Then she took me to my car and told me not to come back. Not a warning I will ignore." He turns back to his locker and grabs his textbooks. "Stay away from them, Rose. They're dangerous."

"They know my mom." I say quietly. "They didn't know she was dead, but apparently they've been looking for her for a long time." I fidget with a loose string on my sweater. "I might be able to find out what happened to her, Christian. Besides, I need to know more about me, too."

Christian nods and pulls me in for a hug. "Just be careful, okay? Whatever you decide, I've got your back." He flashes me a boyish grin.

I smile back. "Thanks, Sparky."

After school, I decide to finally answer one of Sonya's calls. "Why are you avoiding me?" she shrieks into the phone." I pull my cell away from my ear.

"I'm sorry." I say. "I didn't have a good night last night." I answer vaguely.

"Why? What happened?" her voice sounds worried, and it actually annoys me.

"I don't want to talk about it." I snap.

I hear her sigh over the phone. "Rose, you can't just do whatever you want. I know you're having a hard time, but you need to respect that I have rules. Not even that many. Be home by seven for dinner."

I roll my eyes. "Okay, whatever." I hang up and start my walking towards downtown. I may as well make the most of my afternoon before I go into the lion's den.

Across the street, I see a shiny black Audi parked against the curb. The door opens, and out steps the Russian god. As he walks towards me, his hair blows in the wind. _Well, fuck me._ I think. All I need is a school girl crush on a way older guy to make things worse. He's wearing all black, save for his duster, which is a tan color.

"It didn't take you long to find me." I cross my arms and look past him to the car. "That's a slick car there, cowboy."

He is not amused. "I promised you a conversation. That's what I'm here for. Come on." He nods towards his car and starts walking.

"Um, to where?" My feet are planted firmly on the ground. There's no way I'm going with him blindly, no matter how hot he is.

"To my office." He opens the passenger side door and waits.

I stare at him a moment longer before I finally get in the car. "You better not be taking me somewhere to have me murdered. I _will_ kick you where the sun doesn't shine. By the way, I have to be home by seven." I point a finger at him and glare. He smirks and closes the door.

The inside of the car is pristine. And I mean spotless. It even has a faint scent of lemon. The touch screen in the center console has a map on it. The destination is my school. I turn to him and raise an eyebrow.

"I don't know the area well." He explains as he fastens his seatbelt. "I haven't been here long." He motions for me to do up my seatbelt.

"Why did you move here?" I ask.

"I was hired to train at the school, and accompany the princess when she needs it." He flips a u-turn and heads the opposite direction, towards St. Vladamir's. A knot develops in my stomach. It's weird enough being around one vampire, I wasn't sure I was ready to face a whole school of them. As if reading my mind, he smiles softly. "Don't worry, I'll take you through the back. No one will know you're here. Besides, everyone is sleeping. We run on a nocturnal schedule."

Those words make me visibly relax. We sit in silence as he takes the winding forest roads to the school. Now that it's daylight, I notice markers on the side of the road.

"What are those?" I ask, nodding at the markers.

"They are charmed stakes. They protect the school from Strigoi." He explains.

I lift my eyebrows. "Like magic?" So magic is real, too? This really couldn't get any weirder.

Dimitri sighs. "There is a lot you have to learn. Most of Dhampir are getting ready to take their final exams and get their assignments at your age. We'll have to start you at a kindergarten level." The corner of his mouth lifts into a sarcastic smile.

I scoff. "I bet if I started school at St. Vladamir's when I was a kid I could kick your ass. I'm small, but I'm mighty."

He turns to look at me. "Maybe one day we'll test that theory." My eyes widen and his smile grows bigger. God, he is gorgeous.

My nerves strike me again once we reach the school gates. As promised, the school grounds are empty. A few guards loiter here and there, but for the most part the courtyard is bare. We take a sharp left, and Dimitri follows a road to the back of the buildings. He nods to a guard, who opens a garage door. Dimitri pulls in and cuts the engine. He comes around the car and opens my door for me.

"Wow. What a gentleman." I tease. I follow him down a long hallway and up three flights of stairs. When we reach his office, he motions for me to sit.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions." He grasps his hands together and holds them in front of his face. He leans his head against them for a moment and takes a deep breath. "Ask away."

"Did you ever meet my mother?" I keep my head down, avoiding eye contact. I hated even asking.

"No. I've known of her since I graduated in Russia. She was superior, even in school. Everyone knew of your mother. That's why it caused such a controversy when she disappeared." I finally look up and meet his gaze. He watches me closely as he continues to speak. "Rumors started circulating that she was pregnant, but many didn't believe it. She was never known to date. No one ever reported her having a romantic connection with anyone. Some believed she turned Strigoi, others believed she was dead. I can tell you for certain that no one knew about you."

I swallow. "Do you know who my father is?" I ask quietly. I could never get it out of my mom or Sonya, so maybe Comrade here will know something.

"I have an idea, but I don't know for sure." He pulls a book out of his desk. He flips through the pages. Once he finds what he is looking for, he slides the book across the desk. I pick it up and gasp when I see the man in the picture staring back at me.

"Why do you think it's him?" Tears burn behind my eyes, and I try to blink them back.

"She served for the Mazur family for many years. Her and Abe were close. He was especially devastated when he learned of her disappearance. He denied any claims of them being together, but I don't believe him."

"I've seen him before." My finger traces over his facial features. "Once, when I was small. He came to our house and gave me a teddy bear. My mom made me go to my room and wouldn't let me come out until he left. She was crying when she finally opened my door. I never saw him again."

A tear drop falls onto the face of the man who could be my father. There was so much information to absorb all at once. I didn't know anything about my mother, or about me, for that matter. My whole life was a lie. And now the only person I could rely on was a stranger.

"I imagine this is a lot to take in a matter of a few days." Dimitri says. He comes around the side of the desk and sits on the edge of it. He pulls the book from my hands, his fingers brushing mine. I feel the same electricity I felt the night before. I glance up at him, and his eyes hold mine for a moment. Slowly, his hand comes up to my face. He wipes away a tear that escaped without me noticing. His gaze holds mine the whole time. My heart starts beating rapidly against my chest, and I try to calm my breathing. Dimitri clears his throat and pulls his hand away. By the look on his face, I can tell he's as affected as I am.

I look away, embarrassed. "So, tell me the difference between the different vampires." I say, hoping to clear the tension. I could cut that shit with a knife.

"Dhampirs are half human, half vampire. They come into existence when a Moroi and Dhampir mate, or a Dhampir and human mate. They are never affected by the sunlight. We look the same to humans, or at least enough they wouldn't notice without knowing what they are looking for." He stands up and starts pacing the room. "Moroi can only come into existence by a Moroi mating with another Moroi. They are affected by sunlight, but only slightly. It makes them more uncomfortable than anything. They drink human blood only. Dhampir that let Moroi feed off of them are called Blood Whores. It's a very taboo thing for a Moroi feed of a Dhampir.

"The toxins released from their fangs is euphoric. It makes the person being fed from crave it more and more. We have human volunteers that live here as blood banks for the students and staff." My face must how disgusted I really am by the thought because Dimitri laughs. "Moroi specialize in one element. Very rarely, they can specialize in multiple. That's how the charmed stakes outside the school were made. Moroi students take a magic class to learn to control their element, and how to use it for good. Strigoi are the vampires you were taught to fear. A vampire is never born Strigoi. They can be turned either by being turned by another Stirgoi, or by draining a fellow Moroi of their blood. They cannot go out into the sunlight at all. It will kill them. Strigoi are extremely powerful. We get Molnija marks when we defeat a Strigoi. When there are too many to count, we get a Zvezda."

He lifts the hair off his neck and turns around. On his neck are small tattoos surrounding one larger one. The exact ones my mom had tattooed on her neck. She always told me they were a dumb thing she did when she was a teenager and that they didn't mean anything. "What's the big one?" I ask.

"It's a Promise mark. We get them once we are sworn guardians. The x's that look like lightning bolts are the Molnija, and the ones that look like suns are the Zvezda." He lets his hair down and turns to face me. Chills spread throughout my body. I imagine him fighting the creature with the red glowing eyes I saw on the internet. Is that what they really look like? I'm almost afraid to ask.

I glance at the clock on the wall behind us. Six-thirty. I stand up and head to the door. "I need to get home." Dimitri nods and grabs his keys. We ride in silence on the drive to my house. Once we pull up, I finally speak. "When will I see you again?" I ask.

"Tomorrow. Same time." Dimitri answers. He gives me a small smile and I smile in return. I close the car door and walk up the front steps. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know I'm terrified to find out.

* * *

 **What do you guys think so far? Leave me a review and let me know :) Have a great night!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! I won't bore with the reasons I've been away. Enjoy :)**

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When I got home, I found Sonya and Victor seated at the dinner table, a table full of food awaiting my aggressive eating I would no doubt partake in. I may be small, but man, I could eat double my weight. Thank God for genetics. _Your vampire genetics, a_ voice in my mind whispered. A sobering thought. Suddenly I wasn't so hungry anymore. I took my seat across from Sonya, refusing to make eye contact. I had no idea what to say to her all of a sudden, the anger I was consumed with still threatened to escape, but now I just felt… awkard. I would handle this as calmly as I could, I decided. I needed to keep calm for my own sake.

"How was your day?" Sonya asked, shoveling green beans onto her plate. I wasn't the only one in the family with a huge appetite.

I shrugged, taking the bowl of green beans she extended to me. "It was fine. This guy I met took me for a drive and showed me to the school he teaches at." I tried to keep my voice as bland as I could.

Victor looked up, confused. "Belmont is the only school close to here." He lifted his glass of wine and slowly swirled its contents around, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I suppose there is one in Cooper, about an hour and a half away from here. There's no way you'd make it there and back before dinner."

"Sure there is." I said as cheerfully as I could. "St. Vladamir's is only a half hour away." Victor spit his wine out as he took a sip, and Sonya dropped her fork. The loud clang it maked against the glass plate would usually make her flinch, but she just stared at me, shocked.

"Wh-what did you just say?" she shook her head, seeming to try to convince herself she misheard me.

A flash of anger spiked in me at her shock. So much for staying calm. "Oh, come on." I exclaimed. "How long did you think you could hide this from me? Belmont may be far from any other town, but there's no way you could keep this a secret. I was bound to run into someone sometime who knew I wasn't human." Sonya's face paled about three shades at the mention of me not being human. "Fortunately for me, it happened sooner than you expected. You had to have known I would find out." I threw my hands in the air for dramatic effect. "This exactly the best place to hide me."

Sonya glanced quickly at Victor, who had just as much of a shocked expression. _Good, that'll teach them,_ I thought. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug over the whole thing.

"I promised your mom I'd tell you once I felt you were ready if she ever passed." She rested her head in her hands. "I never expected this to be the conversation we would have." She sighed, and sat up straight. "Okay, then. Who is this Guardian you met?"

I hesitated a moment. I didn't want her to forbid me from seeing Dimitri again. I still had so much more I wanted to know, and I had to admit I did enjoy what time I spent with him.

"His name is Dimitri-"

"Belikov. Guardian Belikov." Victor finished for me. I nodded. "I can imagine your meeting him was unpleasant. He's the best there is. There's a reason he was assigned to the Dragomir Princess. They plucked him right out of Russia for the assignment, direct orders from the Queen herself."

Vasilisa, I realized. The last of her family's line. I remembered Dimitri telling me he was there for when she needed an escort. I didn't realize how extensive protection was. I only knew a small amount about Moroi needing protection. Royals such as Vasilisa usually had two guardians assigned to them. I wondered briefly how that would affect plans for her future.

"It wasn't at first." I paused. "Or the second time. The third wasn't great either." Not until the end at least, when his hand was on my cheek, wiping away a tear so gently-

"Excuse me?" Sonya shrieked, pulling me abruptly out of my thoughts. "How did you get into three meetings with him? I want to know everything, Rosemarie" she demanded.

I froze. Shit. My mouth really did not help situations sometimes.

"The night of the bonfire by the beach was the first time. I took a walk on one of the piers and ran into some Moroi and dhampir kids-"

"Students were outside the wards?" Victor exclaimed. He slammed a fist down on the table. "How stupid can they be? Dhampir know better than to put Moroi in a dangerous position. That's what they train their whole childhood for!"

"Will you let me finish?" I snaped. Victor gave me a surprised look, but he stopped talking. "They came and talked to me and and my friend Christian. Christian recognized they were from St. Vladamir's and told me to stay away from them. I had to use the bathroom after that, and I saw three guardians had found them. I tried to stay out of the way and hide behind a corner, but Dimitri found me. After I heard them say the school's name and a few other strange things, I googled the terms I heard. So after I researched the school I convinced Christian to-" I stopped, and thought carefully about how to continue. I really didn't want to get him involved any more than he already was, or get myself into any more trouble.

"You convinced him to what?" Sonya asked through narrowed eyes.

I took a deep breath, then continued. "I convinced him to go to the school with me," Sonya's breathing basically stopped, To go find out for myself what was going on. We got caught, and were taken to separate people to explain why were there. Dimitri picked me up from school yesterday. That's all."

Sonya scoffed. "That's all? Are you kidding me?" I refused to back down under her scornful glare, no matter how badly I want to. I refused to show any weakness. She was in the wrong for not telling me any of this. There was nothing wrong with me looking for the answers no one in my family seemed to think I needed.

"There are two problems with your story, Rose." Victor said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, really? Enlighten me then." I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my chair.

"One, it's impossible to just Google anything about the vampire races. Humans haven't known about us for hundreds of years. And two, Christian can't have just known about St. Vladamir's. The schools, along with the Royal Court, are the most protected areas in the world. It's impossible to penetrate, unless you know where to go. The roads to the school are hidden by magic. Christian wouldn't have known where to go, unless there's something he hasn't told you. As for the information you found online, that's a mystery of its own."

I frowned. "No, that's impossible. Christian doesn't know anything. He was terrified when he found everything out." My mind raced. There was no way Christian could be one of us. Surely he would have told me.

"Enough of this tonight." said Sonya wearily. She rubbed her forehead with her hand. Exhaustion clouded her features. "We will continue this tomorrow." She stood and threw the cloth that lay across her lap onto her plate of uneaten food. All of us had forgotten about dinner.

I stared down at my own plate, unable to believe what Victor had told me. If Christian knew any of this, that would mean he was a vampire.

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 **Hmmmm what could Christian be hiding? I'm already working on the next couple chapters, so updates will be consistent from now on! Leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Good morning/afternoon/evening/whatever pertains to you! I was going to wait a little longer to post this, but I felt bad for leaving you hanging. Eager to find out what Christian is hiding? Read on and find out!**

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My rage was leading me blindly through the fog encompassing the air around me. I had to find Christian, and I had to find him now. I had only been to his house once, on a quick trip during lunch time. He had forgotten a geometry book he needed for his next class. I still didn't know the streets of Belmont well enough to know where I needed to go, but the town was small enough I should be able to find him relatively easy. I needed an immediate explanation as to why Christian somehow directly knew everything, and why he didn't tell me he knew. It felt like a betrayal. He knew how badly this all had affected me, and he still didn't tell me.

When I reached the school, I knew where to go from there. A ten minute walk later, I found his car outside a small brick home. Thank God he was here. Kicking his ass would be a little hard if he wasn't. I strode up the steps and pounded aggressively on the door. A dog started barking next door. Figures. Animals never liked me much.

Surprise lit up Christian's features when he opened the door. I was ready to attack, but instead I froze. Looking at me was Christian, but he didn't really _look_ like Christian. Somehow, though I really didn't believe my eyes, he was taller. His icy blue eyes stood out more than they normally did against unusually pale skin.

"R-Rose?" he stammered. "What are you doing here?" he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ring. I noticed it as the one he always wore on his right hand. He slipped it on, and he was. . . normal.

"What the fuck?" I breathed. "How-what-" so much for attacking. I could barely form a sentence.

He looked around anxiously outside. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"I-" I was cut off by another surprise. How much more shock could one person handle?

"Dude, come on. I'm starving." Adrian appeared behind Christian, and stopped dead in his tracks. He too, was taller, and his normally dark complexion was paled. "Well this is unexpected. I thought you were our pizza deliverer. Hi, Rose." He tried to maintain a carefree attitude, but his posture showed he was anything but. "Christian, you didn't tell me we would have company."

"I wasn't expecting any." Christian grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. "Okay, talk. You obviously came for a reason."

"I came to ask why you lied to me. I was hoping I was wrong, but after seeing that," I eyed his ring, "I know I'm not. So tell me why you didn't tell me you already knew what I was." I crossed my arms, hoping to assert some dominance in here, even though I kind of wanted to go running the other direction. I came for answers, and I was going to get them.

"Shit, dude." Adrian chuckled. "Busted."

Christian and I both shot glares his direction. "It's a long story. You may as well take a seat." Christian motions to a leather couch. I hesitantly sit, careful to stay on the far end. Completely missing me wanting space, Adrian plops down next to me.

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight." Said Adrian. I rolled my eyes and shifted so our legs were no longer touching.

"I knew you'd find out about the Ozeras eventually, I was just hoping somehow you wouldn't connect them to me." Christian ran a hand through his pitch black hair. "You understand how Strigoi work, right?" I nodded. "A few years ago, my parents turned by choice." My blood ran cold. There were two ways someone could change, and they had chosen the worst. They chose to drink from someone until that person died. "They wanted to keep me until they deemed me old enough, and then turn me. My Aunt Tasha, the one I was sent to at the school, sent me into hiding. She had Adrian charm this ring," he held up his hand, "with compulsion so that I could go to a human school. The compulsion makes me look human."

"But wouldn't you be safer behind the wards? They're charmed so the Strigoi couldn't come on school grounds, right?" I tried to recall exactly what I had been told.

"In a way, yes, but my parents would know where I was, waiting until I left to take me. So Tasha bought a house in Belmont and left me here." Christian motioned around the room. "After my parents turned, we were basically shunned to society. It became harder and harder to be around people after that. Tasha got her job at the school to pay for the house. She told everyone she sent me off to Russia to live with a few distant relatives. We were living at the Royal Court when everything happened. We haven't heard anything about my parents whereabouts in over a year, so for the time being, this is where I'll be."

It made sense. Well, as much sense as undead parents searching for their child to turn _him_ undead could make. I felt sympathy for Christian. I could see in his eyes how much it hurt him. He had a stroke of luck being taken to Tasha when we were busted at the school. I voiced this to him, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I wasn't lying when I said she about beat my ass. She couldn't believe I had done something so stupid." He had a smirk on his face.

"Wait a minute," I turned to Adrian, "What do you have to do with this?" His dazzling green eyes held humor. Now that he was showing his true self, he was even more gorgeous than before. Not as gorgeous as Dimitri, but still enough to make a girl notice the small space between our legs.

"Queen Tatiana Ivashkov, my great aunt, has certain plans for me." My eyebrows shot up. He was related directly to the queen and ran off? Damn. I had to admit I was impressed. Plans I have no interest in following through. So, when Tasha asked me to partake in this crazy plan, I decided I wanted to join. I had so much fun in high school the first time, why not go again?" he had a flippant air around him, but I sensed something in his posture; discomfort.

"I'm sorry," I held a hand up and about busted up laughing. "You're in school _again_? Who the hell would want to go through high school again?"

"I don't actually go to classes. I only show up sometimes." I thought back to school, realizing I'd only seen him a few times. "The compulsion makes people think I do. I'm here, most of the time."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stop the headache that was forming from information overload. "Okay," I said standing. "This is all a little much for me." Something popped into my head and I frowned. "How did I find that information online?" I asked. "My Uncle Victor said there's no way I could have found it."

Adrian's frown matched my own. "That's why Christian agreed to go with you. He wanted to find that out himself."

Christian nodded. "According to Tasha, someone must have wanted you to find us. She searched online, but found nothing. Someone, somehow, put that on your computer. Someone that wants you at the school."

I started toward the door, deciding I needed to give my brain a break. I said my goodbyes to Adrian, and Christian took me home. We were silent the whole way home. My mind was reeling. I couldn't believe this. I had a feeling I would be getting a lot of shocking news over the next few weeks. My face would probably be permanently shocked by the end of this. When we pulled up to my house, I suddenly had a thought.

"All Moroi specialize in an element, right?" Christian nodded. "What's yours?" No sooner than I asked, a small ball of fire shot past my face, evaporating as quickly as it came. I yelped, and my hand flew to my chest. "You could have just _said_ fire." I got a sarcastic laugh, and a wave of his hand ushering me out of the car.

Grumbling something about my hair being lit on fire, I trekked up the stairs to my new home that suddenly felt very, very strange. With a sharp pang, I thought how badly I wished I could talk to my mom. I pulled out my keys to unlock the door, and stopped. Something was wrong. The door sat slightly ajar, barely enough to notice. The wood was splintered, and the lock was broken. I considered calling Christian to come back for half a second, but decided against it. Sonya's car was in the driveway, but Victor's was gone. He must have been called into work. Slowly, I pushed the door open.

The house was quiet. Too quiet. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I was afraid it would beat out. I checked the lower level of the house, then started up the stairs. I grabbed a fireplace poker and I passed by. The stairs creaked under my feet, and I froze. I waited for a moment, listening, before I kept going. When I reached the top, I saw a gentle light on under Sonya's door, and heard the TV in her room going. I relaxed, letting out an audible sigh of relief. I swung her door open.

"Hey, I don't know if you saw the front door, but its brok-" I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a man holding Sonya up by her head. She had bite marks along her neck, the blood coming from them staining her shirt. She was alive, but barely. She had a dopey smile on her face, and her eyes were glazed over. I couldn't tell what scared me more; Sonya bleeding to death, or the man that was holding her. He was chalk white, with dark hair curling down past his shoulders. His eyes were almost normal, a nice blue color, but a strong red circle surrounded the blue. If death had an image, I always pictured the Grim Reaper. The poor bastard looked like a unicorn compared to this thing.

"Rosemarie Hathaway." His voice was chilling, making my bones freeze up. I couldn't move. "There's a prize waiting for whoever finds you. Unfortunately, it only asks for you. It's a shame, really. Sonya here would make a great traveling snack. I did, however notice you had a friend. Christian Ozera. I can only imagine the praise I'll get for bringing you both. Now say goodbye, Sonya." And with the most ease I have ever seen, he snapped her neck. Her eyes went wide for a millisecond, and then nothing. The life was gone. I screamed involuntarily, a sob catching in my throat. _No. No, no, no. This isn't happening. Oh, God,_ a voice screamed in my head. So this is what a Strigoi looked like. He closely resembled the picture I saw, but not quite. He was even more terrifying, if that was at all possible.

The Strigoi let go of Sonya's head, and she dropped to the ground. I regained feeling in my bones, and I tore off down the stairs. I almost reached the bottom, but he was fast. Oh, so fast. He grabbed my shoulder and dragged me back, making me lose my footing. I yelped, and tried to regain composure. My mom had me take self-defense classes, and I was pretty good. I wasn't sure how much that mattered with this thing, but it wasn't in my nature to just give up.

Realizing I still had the poker in my hand, I drove it through the Strigoi's foot. He screamed in agony. I pulled it out and struck again, this time sending it into his stomach. His face twisted in pain, and saliva dripped off his fangs when he screamed louder. I wasted no time admiring my work and flew down the stairs and to the front door. I swung it open, and yelped when I saw someone standing there.

Dimitri.

He strode in past me, and to the Strigoi that was now closing in on us. With the most grace I have ever seen, Dimitri pulled out a silver stake and drove it through the Strigoi's heart. His eyes instantly glazed over, and he fell. The whole thing took maybe twenty seconds, yet it felt like a lifetime. I stood frozen in place. What the fuck just happened? The adrenaline that was pumping through my veins stopped, and I fell to the ground. Dimitri ran over me, scooping me up in one swift movement. He set me down on the stairs, and his eyes searched me frantically.

"Are you hurt?" I couldn't answer. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. I stared past him, not looking at any one solid thing until Dimitri grabbed both sides of my face, forcing me to look at him. "Rose? Rose, say something."

"Sonya." I choked out. I tilted my head towards the hallway leading to her room. It only took Dimitri a moment to understand what I was implying. He picked me up again, not wanting to leave me alone, and ran up the stairs to her room. He set me down again when we reached her room. I collapsed again, seeing Sonya's unmoving body. Dimitri took out his cellphone and spoke rapidly in Russian. Once he got off the phone he used the bedspread to cover Sonya's body.

I was sitting on the couch in the front room when Victor burst through the door, eyes panicked. He saw me and ran to me, pulling me close. "Oh, thank God you're okay. A guardian at the school alerted me to a Strigoi attack and I just knew. Where's Sonya?" I looked at him solemnly and shook my head. "No," he whispered, "Where?" I pointed upstairs, and he took off. I heard his loud cry, and I closed my eyes.

The next hour passed in a blur. More Guardians showed up, and helped Victor remove Sonya's body. Dimitri never left my side, except to give his report to his superiors. Someone told me to pack a bag, that I would be accompanying them back to St. Vladamir's. I moved in what felt like water, everything slow and hazy.

"What are the odds that poker was all silver?" I heard a guardian outside my door ask another guardian. "The kid got lucky, for sure, but there was skill behind that too." The wonder in his voice made me shake my head.

Once my bag was packed and I said goodbye to Victor, I headed to St. Vladamir's with Dimitri. We were a few blocks from my house when I remembered the threat against Christian. "Wait, stop!" I exclaimed. My abrupt outburst shattered the silence we were wrapped in and Dimitri nearly swerved.

"What's wrong?" asked Dimitri frantically, pulling over.

"We have to get Christian." Dimitri gave me a puzzled look. I launched into my story about what Christian and Adrian told me. "Call Tasha. She'll tell you it's true." He looked skeptical as he dialed Tasha's number. His expression went from being unsure to disbelief. He hung up and looked at me.

"I don't know how in the world you have already gotten yourself in such a mess." He said, running his hand down his face. "You've been here, what? A week?"

"Are we going to get them?" I asked. "We need to hurry!"

"They're sending others after them. For right now, you're my main concern. We need get you to behind the wards." Dimitri pulled the car back onto the road and sped to St. Vladamir's.

"Now what?" I asked quietly.

"Now you enroll in St. Vladamir's, and start your guardian training." Dimitri glanced at me, and I found myself getting lost in the features of his face. Those deep, brown eyes drew me in and wouldn't let me go. My eyes flicked to his lips, and I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. When I looked back up to his eyes, I saw something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I got the feeling he was thinking the same thing. Almost as quickly, his expression hardened into stone, showing me nothing. I sank back into my seat and stared out the window the rest of the way to the school.

After a brief meeting with the headmistress, Celeste something, I was shown to my new room in the dhampir dorms. I dropped my duffel bag onto the floor next to the dresser and surveyed the room I would be spending the next year in. It was small and plain. The brown walls were bare. A twin sized bed, the dresser, and a desk housing a computer were the only furniture in the room. Since classes were now in full swing, I was sent to my room to rest. Tomorrow, however, I started my new endeavor. Since I only had my senior year to learn what novices had their whole childhood to learn, Celeste wanted me to start immediately. I would have to set aside my grieving.

Dimitri stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Get some sleep. We start training tomorrow morning." I nodded and sat down on the bed. I think I looked lost and helpless enough he took pity on me. He covered the distance of the room in three steps. Damn 6'7" Russian God. He sat next to me on the bed and grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry about Sonya. It's a horrible loss so soon after your mother." He squeezed my hand once then let go. "I have a lot to teach you. You need to be strong now. For them." And with that, I was left alone. So, so alone.

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 **As always, leave me your thoughts :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews and kind words. It makes me even more excited to continue this story knowing how much you all like it. I appreciate you all!**

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Early the next morning, I was dressed in loose pants and a hoodie for my first day of training. I rubbed the back of my neck while I walked to the gym I was instructed to report to. I slept, but not well. My constant tossing and turning caused me to pinch a nerve in my neck. I tried turning my head to the side and grimaced. How was I going to be able to beat up a Russian God if I couldn't even move my neck? The brisk wind was biting my skin through my hoodie, so I picked up my pace and hurried the rest of the distance. Once inside and safe from the cold, I immediately spotted Dimitri. He was sitting cross-legged on a practice mat, reading a western. I couldn't help a small smile. For such an intimidating man, he had a soft side. I checked out my surroundings, surprised at how large the room was. Dummies that eerily resembled real people stood off to the side. Pads, mats, and other necessities for fighting lined all the walls except one. The wall opposite where Dimitri sat housed five rows of bleachers. Most likely for students to watch one another fight, I presumed.

Dimitri looked up once he heard me approach. With grace I couldn't comprehend from a man so tall, he was off the ground and standing. How in the world could someone with such long legs move so easily? Years and years of practice, I realized. He knew his body well.

"How are you feeling?" he tossed his book aside and crossed his arms over his chest. The softness he had in his voice last night was gone, his face showing no emotion. He was the epitome of calm and collected. For him now, this was all business.

"Fine." I said. It wasn't exactly the truth, but I wasn't to sit around and feel bad for myself.

He just nodded. "Come over here and stand directly in front of this bag." He motioned toward a punching bag.

"What-" I started, "you're just going to have me punch that thing?" I was a bit disappointed. I didn't know what I expected, but this wasn't It. "I thought we were going to fight."

"It won't be much of a fight if I can't gauge your strength. Judging by the fact you have never fought a dhampir, I am going to assume you won't have much." He said matter of factly. It pissed me off.

"Assumptions will get you into trouble, comrade." I strode over to the bag, glaring at him.

"Don't call me that." He chastised. "I am your instructor, and you will address me as such. You will address me as Guardian Belikov." He handed me two open finger gloves. "Put these on. They will protect your hands." He stepped back once I slipped the gloves on and motioned to the bag. "Now show ne what you can do."

"Easy." I smirked. I took my stance, and swung at the bag. Nothing. I frowned and hit it again. "What the hell is this thing made out of?" I grunted as I hit it again and again. I was getting nowhere, and I was growing increasingly frustrated.

"You're weak." Dimitri stated simply.

I spun around. "I am _not_ weak."

"Then prove it." He shrugged.

 _You want me to prove it? Fine. Watch this._ Hoping to catch him by surprise, I attacked. Hoping being the figurative word here. I lunged at him, swinging my fist. With speed I could never dream of, he grabbed my hand. I scowled. I kicked my leg out behind him, hoping to at least make him lose his balance. All I did was accomplish giving him an opening to take me down. As my leg swung behind his, his other arm snaked out and grabbed me around my waist. He slammed me onto the mat, making my head jerk back and hit the mat. Hard. Dimitri pinned both my hands above my head, his lower body trapping mine.

"Shit." I struggled against him, trying to break free, but it was useless. He was too heavy.

"Watch your language." He warned. He pushed himself up and reached a hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up. "Now, let's go back to the bag. Hit it again."

On and on it went, and by the end I was exhausted. I stripped my hoodie and was just wearing a black tank top. Sweat dripped off me, signaling I really need a shower. Once Dimitri finally dismissed me, I ran back to my dorm to hurriedly shower and dress for school. Dimitri had been stoic and guarded during our session. Any of the kindness or electricity I felt between us was gone. Well, not for me, anyway. I shoved the thought to the back of my mind. I couldn't think about that now, not with the daunting task of taking on _another_ new school ahead of me.

After I got cleaned up and a quick blow dry on my hair, I changed into my new school uniform. Most of the ensemble was black, save for the white button up under my cardigan and the St. Vladmir's crest on the chest of the cardigan. The skirt I was given went to about mid-thigh, showing off my long legs. Unfortunately I couldn't show off my tan because of the tights that were required to go under the skirt. I scoffed. Prudes. I grabbed my backpack and raced out of the dorm. My stomach tightened when I saw other students that were also scurrying off to classes. Those who noticed me watched me with curious eyes. I got the feeling they didn't get new kids any more often than Belmont.

I pulled out my schedule. The first half of the day was the usual math, science, and history. The second half of the day is where the dhampirs and Moroi split off. Moroi went on to study magic and politics while us dhampirs got to beat each other up all afternoon. Until I got more training from Dimitri, however, I wouldn't be able to join the normal training classes. I was stuck with my one on ones with Dimitri for the time being.

"Great." I grumbled to myself. I got to get beat up before, during, and after school. I was almost to my first class period when I saw a familiar head of black hair. "Christian!" I yelled, hurrying after him. He turned around, his expression melting into relief. Like me, he was wearing a school uniform. How are you?" I asked once I reached him.

"Peachy." He grinned sarcastically. "I'm clearly thrilled to be back at Vampire Academy."

I winced at the mention of "vampires". I was still getting used to this even being a possibility.

"No, I mean with the guardians coming back for you." I tried to ignore the increase of whispers around us. It seemed the arrival of the son of Strigoi Ozeras and the famous Guardian Janine Hathaway was top news around here.

His expression darkened. "It was a surprise, for sure. Tasha ripped me a new one when I got back. I'm not the only one in trouble, though. She's facing termination for hiding Adrian and me. At first I was angry, I thought you sold me out. Then the guardians told me what happened." His eyes held sympathy. "I'm sorry, Rose. That must have been terrifying."

My stomach tightened and I had to blink back the tears threatening to escape. "It was, but now I get to learn to defend myself in case it happens again." I said, a lot braver than I felt. I wasn't one to let people feel bad for me, no matter what the situation was. Images of Sonya danced behind my eyes. "Speaking of the devil, where is Adrian?"

Christian shrugged. "Probably passed out in his room. This is a bit early for him." I followed him as he continued walking to classes. "Once word gets to the Queen, which I'm sure it already has, she'll order him back to Court. For now, he's holed up in guest housing."

"Oh. Is he going to be in trouble?"

Christian nodded. "I'm going to assume so. But who knows with his aunt. He gets away with everything. It's his parents he needs to worry about."

I felt a bit guilty at the thought of them both being in trouble. I was just doing the right thing, right? "Anyway, what's your schedule?" My cheery tone was forced, and Christian knew it.

The concerned look on his face didn't leave, but he dropped it. "We have most of our morning classes together." He scanned the paper holding my class information. "How was your first training with Belikov?" he handed the paper back and I shoved it into my backpack.

I groaned. "I'll be lucky if I can move tomorrow, let alone throw a punch."

Christian snorted. "It's only going to get worse from here." I rolled my eyes and pushed him through the doorway to our first class. He stopped abruptly, causing me to run into him.

"Hey, what gives?" I stepped around him, and made eye contact with two jade green eyes. "Ah." I smirked. "It's your girlfriend."

Christians face turned bright red. "Will you shut it?" he shook his head. He skulked off, refusing to look at Lissa. How cute.

Lissa strolled over to where I was standing. "Hi." Her voice was like sunshine, and I instantly felt calm in her presence. She gave me a warm smile.

"Hi." I smiled, actually meaning it for the first time.

"I heard about your family. Everyone did, of course. You'll learn news travels fast around here." She gave me a sympathetic look. "I know how you feel. I lost my family a year ago." Her warm feelings turned to something darker, and instantly my mood went dark. Wait a minute, was I feeling her emotions? She noticed about the same time I did.

"Thank you." We watched each other curiously for a few moments. She glanced just over my head and frowned. I looked up and saw nothing.

"Is it true you just barely found out you're a dhampir?" I snapped out of my weird stare down with Lissa and saw a handsome blonde boy. Not just handsome, he was hot. And familiar.

"Jesse," Lissa scolded. Have a little tact.

"I just don't know how that's possible." Jesse crossed his arms. A few people behind him snickered.

"I guess beauty doesn't always mean brains, does it?" I glared. Hot or not, he was annoying me.

Lissa grinned. "I think we're going to get along quite well." I grinned in return. "Do you mind if I come sit with you?"

"No, not at all." I led her back to where Christian sat. Christian was back to scribbling in his notebook when I sat next to him. "Hey," I nudged him. "We have a new friend." He looked up and paled, if possible, when he saw Lissa.

"Hi." Lissa reached a hand out to Christian. "I'm Lissa. You're Christian, right?" He grunted and turned back to his notebook. Lissa frowned and dropped her hand.

"Damn, sparky. Maybe a little more social and a little less hostile, yeah?" I shot Lissa a sympathetic look. "Sorry. He's apparently above introductions."

The rest of the morning through lunch passed by as uneventfully as a first day goes as at a school for vampires. By the second half of my day, however, I was getting increasingly pissed off by the stares and whispers. I was headed to change for my afternoon session in the guardians gym with Dimitri when I someone shouted at me.

"Hey Little Dhampir!" I turned my head (painfully) to see Adrian jogging across quad to me. "How was your first day?"

"Fine." I replied, snatching the cigarette he was about to light out of his mouth. "This is a school, Adrian. You can't smoke here. And you can't compel them into not seeing you." I crossed my arms and cocked my hip. He smiled one his dazzling smiles, flashing his fangs. It shocked me a little because all the other Moroi seemed pretty keen on keeping their fangs hidden. Most smiled with their top lips curled around their top teeth, others smiled without opening their mouths at all.

"I'm a little above the rules here." He pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "Christian told me Belikov has you training pretty hard."

"He does. I have a lot to catch up on." The smell of cloves around me was giving me a headache.

"Don't worry, you'll catch on faster than you think." He winked at and strolled away, exhaling cloud of smoke. I frowned. What in the world could that mean?

Dimitri was sitting on a bleacher reading his western from this morning when I reached the gym. "You're late." He didn't look up from his book.

"Sorry. I got held up." I set my gym bag down and shoved my hands into the gloves Dimitri gave me.

"Yes, by Adrian Ivashkov. I saw. He's not the type of person you should be spending time with. He's got a reputation. A bad one." The annoyance in his tone made me smirk.

"What, are you jealous?"

He scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous." He stood and looked me dead in the eye. "I have nothing to be jealous of." Ouch. That stone blank face of his was really grating on my nerves.

We resumed having me hit the punching bag. As time went on, I grew more and more frustrated. Hit after hit after hit and I was getting nowhere. I swear the damn thing was a boulder with padding wrapped around it. After my one millionth attempt and no results, Dimitri stepped in.

"You need to position yourself better." He pressed himself into my back, grabbing my hips witih both hands. My breath caught, and I froze. He twisted my body while he continued a firm hold on my hips. My skin lit up where his body touched mine. "Now hit it again." His breath on my neck made goosebumps rise.

I swallowed and brought my hand back. With as much force as I could muster, I slammed my fist into it. It swung fiercly, and I threw my arms in the air. "Yes!" I yelled. "Finally!" I turned my head to the side and looked up to meet Dimitri's gaze. His eyes sparkled. I looked down and saw he still had a hold of my hips. I turned slowly, his grip only loosening so I could turn to face him. He held my gaze for several seconds before he finally released me.

He cleared his throat and stepped back. "Rose," he began. His eyes were clouded with regret. "Victor contacted me today. He set a day for Sonya's funeral." I immediately dropped my eyes to the ground. My chest grew tighter and tighter every time I thought about her. "It will be this Saturday. I will accompany you."

"Okay. Thanks" I said flatly. I stripped the gloves off my hand and turned to put them in my gym bag.

"Rose. Rose, look at me." Dimitri said when I didn't answer the first time.

I shook my head. "It's late. I have homework." I slung my gym bag over my shoulder and headed for the door.

Dimitri came up behind me quickly and flipped me around. "If you need to talk about it, I can recommend a visit with the school counselor.

I gave him a humorless laugh. "Shrinks aren't really my thing, but thank you for the concern Guardian Belikov. Goodnight." His face stayed impassive, but worry flashed in his eyes.

"Meet me in the woods behind the school tomorrow morning." He instructed. I nodded and hurried out the door and to my dorm to shower. I hadn't spoken to Victor since the night Sonya died. It wasn't his fault, though. I shut my phone off and had it locked in a drawer. I didn't feel like speaking to anyone. Deciding to skip dinner, I went straight to bed, falling into a deep sleep the second my head hit the pillow. A dream began almost instantly. Vibrant colors of all sorts of flowers melted into view. Summer filled the air and birds sang. I looked around at the garden and frowned.

"What's the matter Little Dhampir? Not a fan of flowers? I can give you something a little less girly." Adrian stepped out from behind a tree and I groaned.

"What do you want?" I threw my hands in the air. "Can't you let me sleep in peace? I've been warned not to hang out with you, you know. Apparently you left behind quite a reputation when you disappeared."

He laughed. "Don't you want to get to know me a little better so you can get to know me?"

I frowned. "This doesn't seem like a normal dream."

"Well for one, nothing about me is normal, it's exquisite. Secondly, this isn't a normal dream. It's just one of the many gifts I possess."

"You can invade my dreams?" I gasped.

He smiled and stepped closer to me. "That's not what I came to talk to you about. Let's talk about the compulsion in your aura."

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 **As always let me know what you think. Have a good night :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy Wednesday! I hope you're all staying safe in this craziness happening. Thank you all so much for your kind words. I'm am so beyond happy that you like my story. Here is chapter 10!**

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"What the hell are you talking about, Adrian?" I was getting really, really annoyed with him.

"You have a heavy cloud of compulsion surrounding you. Your aura literally looks like fog. Every now and then I can see colors trying to break through." Adrian moved around me, staring at the air around me, much like Lissa had. "I've never seen an aura like this before. I noticed it the day I met you, and it became clear pretty quickly you had no idea what you were. Though, I think someone is blocking you from remembering. I don't think you grew up believing you were human."

I threw my hands in the air. "That makes no sense! Why would anyone ever want to make me forget?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but we're going to figure out a way to cancel out that compulsion and make you remember."

"And how exactly are you going to do that? Whoever did it must be really strong for it to make me completely forget." I still wasn't sure I believed him, but the part of me that was curious dominated the rational thinking. My curiosity often killed the cat.

"You're right." Adrian stopped his pacing and stood in front of me. "Whoever did it is very good. But they had to have been compelling you quite often for it to stick. It's fading. Slowly, but I can see the cloud lightening up. Your memories are going to be coming back soon, but I don't know how soon. That's why I would like to bust you out as soon as possible."

"Lissa looked at me the exact same way you are right now. Do you think she noticed, too?" I said, thoughtful.

"Vasilisa Dragomir?" I nodded. "Interesting." He murmured. I'll have to have a chat with her." Adrian reached out and brushed his hand against my cheek. "Get some rest, Little Dhampir. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow." With a wink, I was back in my room, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, I waited for Dimitri to show up for practice. The woods behind the upper class school were thick, heavy with branches and golden leaves. The sun was still up, and the air was warm despite the crisp autumn wind. I began my stretches, taking advantage of the extra time. The birds singing through the trees made the scenery even more serene. I tilted my head up to the sunlight and closed my eyes, welcoming the first sense of calm I felt in days. I let out a content sigh. I missed the sun. I couldn't help but resent the nocturnal schedule I was forced into. A soft rustle in the trees broke me from my trance.

Dimitri stood before me, watching me. His mouth held a hint of a smile, and his eyes sparkled. I held his gaze for several moments. Our eye contact sent warmth through me, warming me better than the sun ever could.

"You're late." I mimicked his tone from the same lecture he gave me.

"No, not late. You're just early." He chuckled. The sound thrilled me. _Stop it, Rose._ I chastised myself. "I have to say I'm a bit surprised."

"Yeah, well, I needed some quiet. I miss the sun, and since it will be up for a while I thought I would take advantage." I got off my ground, wiping the dirt off my thighs.

"Understandable." Dimitri nodded. He set his duffle bag down next to a thick tree trunk. "It's still a bit early for that."

I shrugged. "I'm not really sleeping anyway." I played with a thread on my tank top, breaking our eye contact.

Worry flashed across his face. "Because of Sonya?" he stepped closer to me.

"Sonya. My mom. Other things." I frowned, recalling the weird dream encounter with Adrian.

"What is it?" Dimitri asked, noticing the change in my voice.

I shook my head. "It's silly. And Impossible." I forced a smile. "Let's just forget it and get on with the lesson, okay?"

"Rose-"

"Really, Dimitri," I cut him off. "I don't want to talk about it. Not now." Dimitri reluctantly accepted he wasn't getting any more out of me, and we began practice.

"A lot of what will determine whether you get yourself killed or you stay alive depends on you knowing your surroundings and being able to tell when something is off." Said Dimitri. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blindfold. I raised my eyebrows. I so wished I could raise one like Dimitri could. I tried many times, failing miserably.

"Don't tempt me with a good time, Comrade."

His face stayed impassive, but I saw the amusement in his eyes. "Put his on and stand still." He handed me the blindfold and I tied it around my eyes. "With your heightened senses, you are able to hear and see things that humans can't until much later. I want you to listen carefully for any threats around you." Dimitri's voice was behind me, coming closer and closer until he was talking directly in my ear. "Open up your senses to everything. Listen to the wind, the birds, the ground. I will be testing your concentration. Try to avoid my attacks by listening for me."

I nodded, but stayed silent. I let myself open up to the nature around me. The songs the birds sang flowed in my ears. The wind against the leaves, the wind dancing through the air. I was beginning to relax a little too much when I heard a twig snap to my left. I snapped to attention, a few miliseconds too late. I sidestepped to the right. Wrong move. A heavy body slammed into me, sending me flying backwards. My head hit the ground, and then it happened.

 _My mom hit me, hard. I flew backward, landing on my back. My head smacked the hard floor beneath me and stars danced in my vision. She knelt down beside me and looked over me. I wanted to wipe the smirk off her face. For someone over a half foot shorter than me, she could kick me ass with no issues._

 _"You're going to have to try a hell of a lot harder than that if you're going to be able to face a Strigoi." She held her hand out to me and helped me up. I rubbed the back of my head. "If I was one of them your skull would be crushed. You need to turn your body when you land, and let your side take the impact. It will give you the chance to tuck your head and avoid being killed."_

I ripped the blindfold off my eyes and walked backwards on my hands and feet away from it as quickly as I could. My hand flew to my heart. It was pounding, and my breathing was fast and labored. "What the hell?" I exclaimed. Dimitri knelt and picked up the blindfold. Confusion was written all over his face.

"What happened?" he asked. He knew by my reaction that something more than being knocked over was bothering me.

"I . . . " I started, then promptly closed my mouth. "I need to find Adrian." I jumped up and darted past Dimitri. I didn't make it very far, however. Dimitri's large hand easily wound around my small wrist, and stopped me.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what happened." He demanded. He looked at me with so much concern my heart almost shattered.

"Adrian doesn't have the usual specialty in magic like everyone else does. He can do things . . . things that I can't explain." Okay, I was rambling. I needed to get it together. "He came to me in a dream last night. Only, it wasn't a dream. Or it was. I don't know." I ran my hands through my hair.

"Rose, calm down. Take a deep breath." Dimitri set his hands on my shoulders, steadying me.

I did as he said. "He can see auras. I still don't quite know what that means, but he can see them on everyone. He told me mine is, well . . . it's clouded, like it's enveloped in a thick fog. He said it's compulsion, that someone wanted me to forget something. It made no sense at first, and I thought he was certifiably crazy, but I just saw-" I stopped. How was I going to explain what I saw without sounding like a lunatic?

Dimitri eyed me carefully. "You saw what?" I bit my lip and didn't say anything. His voice was calm, patient, but I could still see the worry etched in his features.

I took another deep breath and continued. "I-I don't know how to explain it. I saw my mom and me. We were-we were fighting. Not like an argument, we were sparring. She was giving me a lesson on how to avoid a Strigoi killing me by knocking me down." So many thoughts and emotions were swirling through my head. Then it clicked. It was a memory, breaking through the compulsion like Adrian said it would. If his predictions were correct, there were more to follow. "Oh my God. I have to go!" I tried to run again, and was stopped _again_. "Would you let me go?" I shrieked. I was nearing hysteria at this point, but I didn't care. I needed to talk to Adrian _now_.

"Rose, stop!" Dimitri yelled. The power and depth of his voice shut me up real quick. "You are _not_ going anywhere until we figure this out." His hands were holding my wrists tightly, and they were resting against his chest. I could feel his frantic heartbeat under his soft black tshirt. Touching his chest was dizzying.

Defeated, I looked up him. His dark eyes were lined with heavy lashes. The scent of his aftershave and sweat were intoxicating, and his warm breath was sweet.

"I don't know what to say." I whispered. "This is all too much. I know you just want to protect me. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do." My voice cracked. Man, I needed to get ahold of myself. Dimitri's grip on my wrists softened. I unclenched my fists and spread my fingers over his chest, never breaking eye contact. His breathing picked up. There was a storm in those brown eyes, one that he fighting to get control of. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, the confliction was gone. He tightened his grip on my wrists again, and this time he removed my hands. The warmth his touch gave me immediately disappeared.

His voice was gruff when we spoke. "I'm going with you to talk to Adrian." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a silencing hand. "Please, stop fighting me. Let's go."

We began the walk to guest housing. Students were just barely starting to get up for the day, so it was without question Adrian would still be sleeping. We walked in silence, but tension crackled around us. I knew I wasn't the only one who was affected by our contact in the woods. I chastised myself for feeling this way about my instructor, but I couldn't help myself. I was falling, and I was falling hard. How stupid could I be to fall for a man seven years older than me? Yet I couldn't help but wonder how he felt about me. It sure seemed like he had feelings. I sighed. I had bigger and more important things to worry about-like who compelled me to forget what I was and why.

After a solid five minutes of pounding on Adrian's door, sleeping beauty finally arose. He gave me a sleepy smile. His usually styled messy hair was bed head messy, and he was shirtless. I couldn't help but notice how toned his body was. "To what do I owe the honor so early in the morning, Little Dhampir?" he rubbed his eyes.

"I think you were right about me being under compulsion. I think a memory broke through." I tried to keep my eyes on Adrian's. Would it kill him to put on a shirt? "Dimitri and I came to ask for your help." I glanced at Dimitri, who did not seem pleased to be standing before a shirtless Adrian.

"Give me ten minutes. I had a one man party last night and got a little too rowdy." He closed the door and we waited against the wall. Twenty minutes later-much to Dimitri's dismay-Adrian emerged a fresh man. "Alright, start at the beginning." As we walked, I recounted what happened at practice.

"I thought maybe we could find Lissa and see what she thinks." I said.

Dimitri nodded. "That's a good idea. Maybe between the two of you we can figure out what's going on and how to fix it." Dimitri said to Adrian.

"I myself have been wanting to talk to Lissa and find out what she knows about auras, so this little mission will help us both." Adrian smiled, but I could tell he was just as anxious as I was.

"What kind of magic did you specialize in?" I asked. "I haven't met anyone who can do what you do-besides Lissa."

Adrian shrugged. "I never technically specialized. I have no idea what you would call what I can do."

"I have you ever seen anything like this?" I asked Dimitri.

He shook his head. "This would be a first for me."

We finally found Lissa in the library. She was bent over an open textbook, scribbling furiously in her notebook. She looked up, startled to see three of us staring at her.

She put down her pen and smiled. "Hi, guys. Guardian Belikov." She nodded at Dimitri.

"We need your help, Liss." Adrian and I told her the whole story. Her eyes lit up when she realized Adrian could see auras, as well. I felt excitement radiate through her. Seriously, what the hell was that?

"I agree with Adrian about the fog around your aura. The colors are trying so hard to come out, but they're trapped." She frowned, then turned to Adrian. "How are you with compulsion?"

Adrian snorted. "I could compel the clothes off anyone, easy." Dimitri grumbled something in Russian behind me.

Lissa rolled her eyes. "That's really . . . lovely. I was thinking that maybe if we tried to break the compulsion at the same time we could get through it. I'm good, but this stuff is strong. I'm not strong enough to break it on my own."

"It's worth a try." Said Adrian. "What do you think, Little Dhampir?"

Three sets of eyes turned to me. "I want this shit off of me. Let's do it."

After Dimitri made a call to the headmistress excusing us from classes, we headed somewhere quiet and private. Christian found us after we left the library and insisted on coming along. Dimitri led through the woods. Lissa and Adrian chatted the whole time about their abilities and how they both were believed to not have specialized. After a ten minute walk, a dark silhouette came into focus.

"What is that?" I asked.

"An old guardian outpost." He replied. "Guardians used to stay in these and keep watch for Strigoi when we had more guardian numbers. We have such a shortage now that there's no way we can afford to lose any guardians at the school. Besides, we have the wards." A small, rotting cabin came into view. It was small, only able to fit a small bed and kitchen. The roof was sagging a bit, showing years and years of water damage. The place smelled of moss and dirt.

Dimitri pulled three chairs around the kitchen table over to the middle of the room. I sat in one, and Lissa and Adrian sat adjacent to me. Christian and Dimitri stood back, watching closely.

"The best way to do this will be to link our powers, I think." Said Lissa. She held out a hand to Adrian, much to Christian's dismay. They both reached their hands out to me. As soon as I took them, I felt a low hum, like electricity crackling between the three of us. I met Dimitri's eyes briefly. He had one arm crossed, holding the other. His hand rested against his mouth. He was usually so composed, but not now. He was clearly nervous. Lissa took a deep breath, then spoke. "Are you guys ready?" Adrian and I nodded.

The two focused, their eyes concentrating hard on my aura. The electricity picked up, and the hum got louder. I closed my eyes, wincing at the feeling of my brain being shocked. At first, things started off small. Shadows danced across my darkened vision. Voices came through at a low volume. A hand released mine. I opened my eyes to see Adrian looking even more pale than a Moroi usually was. One hand still held mine. I looked to Lissa. She was drenched in sweat, despite the cool air. The electricity gained momentum. The voices grew louder, moving from a whisper to a soft yell. I squeezed my eyes shut again. The pressure in my head was pushing down on me, and I was sure my brain was going to pop.

And just like that, it was like glass exploding around me, freeing me from whatever cell my mind was trapped in. Clear cut images burst through, playing like a movie reel. I gasped and eyes flew open, but I couldn't see anything in front of me. Only the images. So many images. I heard voices that didn't belong to the people in the pictures, but I couldn't make them out. I saw me as a little girl, finding a silver stake hidden in my mother's closet. Her teaching me to fight. A man holding the sides of my head, telling me sweetly to forget, that I would remember when it was time. My mother stood behind him, tears in her eyes. Then just as suddenly, it all stopped.

The room around me came back into focus. Lissa, Christian, and Adrian stared at me, wide eyed. Sweat dripped off Lissa's pale forehead. Dimitri was crouched down in front of me. "Rose." The voice I heard belonged to him. "Rose, look at me. Roza." He put a hand up to my cheek. I finally locked eyes with his.

"I remember." My voice barely came out a whisper. Only Dimitri could hear me.

"What do you remember?" he asked. His brows were furrowed, making worry lines appear on his forehead.

"Everything." And with that last word, the world turned to black and I gave in, losing consciousness.

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 **What do you think? Leave me a review and let me know! Have a great day!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! How was everybody's weekend? I hope it was great! Thank you all for being so sweet to me. You make writing so much better with all your kind and honest words.**

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A low beeping sound next to me brought me back from unconsciousness. I opened my eyes slowly, having to blink a few times to let my eyes adjust to the bright light. A small room came into focus. The walls were white, decorated only with posters about safe sex and healthy diet options. I was laying in a small bed with a blood pressure cuff around my arm and an oximeter on my finger. That was where the beeping was coming from. I was in the clinic at school, I realized. I sat up slowly. My head had a faint pounding, but it was easy to ignore. The events of which landed me here came rolling back. I was no longer under compulsion, and I could remember everything. My life had a completely new meaning. I looked at everything differently than I had before.

"You're awake." A soft voice said. I turned my head to see Dimitri sitting next to me in a small folding chair. He looked like if he shifted anymore it might break under his weight. He stuck a bookmark in a western he was reading. "How are you feeling?" he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Like someone reached inside my head and made the world around me explode. Oh, wait. That's exactly what happened." I said sarcastically. Dimitri's level gaze told me he wasn't in the mood for joking. I sighed. "I'm okay. I'm just confused. So much has happened this week. It's like I can't even catch my breath." I dropped my eyes and played with a loose thread on the scratchy blanket that covered me.

"You said in the cabin that you remembered everything. What does that mean?" His eyes regarded my face carefully.

I took a deep breath, then told him everything. "My mother raised me with humans, as a way to protect me from the guardians and Strigoi. I understood wanting to protect me from Strigoi, but I couldn't understand why she would want to keep me away from our own people. Our own race." I frowned, recalling a conversation we once had. "She said after what happened with my father, she would never let me around Moroi or dhampirs. Only, she had to have. That's the only way I would have been compelled." I leaned back in the bed and thought about the man who did it. Realization hit me, and I shot back up. "The man in the photo you showed me, and the man who made my mom cry when I was young. He's the one who did it."

Dimitri's eyebrows shot up. He too sat up straight. "You're sure?"

I nodded. "He told me before it happened that I would remember when it was time, but they had to do this to make me forget. They never told me why." I closed my eyes. "My mom was killed two days later. Whatever-or whoever-they were trying to protect me from got my mother."

A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. An older Moroi woman entered the room. "I heard you two talking. I'm Dr. Olendzski. I would say that it's nice to meet you, but I would like to have saved those words for better circumstances."

"It's nice to meet you, too." I said.

She smiled. "I want to check your vitals and your head again. If everything checks out, you'll be good to go."

After a series of questions and an annoying light in my eyes, she finally released me.

"What happened after I passed out?" I asked Dimitri as we walked to the dhampir dorms.

"Lissa fainted at the same time you did. She's okay." He added quickly when he saw my panicked expression. "She woke up much sooner than you did. She's in her room resting. Adrian, too. They both used a lot of energy to do what they did. Adrian certainly didn't last as long as Lissa, however." Dimitri frowned, lost in thought.

"How long was I out?"

"Two days."

" _Two days_?" I shrieked.

Dimitri nodded at me solemnly. We reached my room, and I leaned against the door. "Sonya's funeral is tomorrow." He said quietly.

I took a deep breath. "I've barely had time to think about her with everything else going on." I laughed, though there was no humor in it. "I haven't had any time to grieve anyone."

Sympathy flashed across his face. "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." I managed a small smile. "You've been the only good thing in my life lately." I think my words surprised us both, because it was a while before he responded.

"I don't think that's true. You've made new friends, and you got your memory back. Now we can figure out what happened and why." He brushed a strand of hair that escaped my hideous ponytail out of my face.

"I guess." I looked away from him. Sometimes it hurt to look at him. My feelings for him kept growing and growing. It was easier to focus on that than my disaster of a life sometimes. I'd only known this man a week or two and already I was falling way too hard, and way too fast.

"Get some sleep. We have an early day." I said nothing and watched him retreat. Grief built in my chest, nearly suffocating me. Tomorrow I would have to say goodbye to the last woman in my family.

Dimitri and I rode in silence to the funeral. Rain blasted the windshield, which was fitting for such a horrible day. The heat coming from the vents in the car were barely enough to warm me. I wore a fitted long sleeved black dress that came mid-thigh with tights and heels, and it did little to help the chill. Unfortunately, it was all I owned. I had my arms crossed, and rubbed my arms. Dimitri cranked the heat as high as it would go. I gave him a small smile for a thank you, but looked away before he could see the tears threatening to spill out. He reached over and grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers in mine. I squeezed his hand tightly, and held it like that until we reached the grave site.

Dimitri handed me an umbrella, and grabbed one for himself. We walked over to where Victor stood, speaking to some people I didn't recognize. Friends of theirs, I presumed. Guilt raked me. They wanted nothing to do with this life. I stole their freedom from this, and stole Sonya's life. My heart broke all over again seeing Victor's tear streaked face. _You can do this._ I chastised myself.

Victor broke away from his friends when he saw us and hugged me. "Thank you for bringing her." He said to Dimitri, who nodded. "How are you?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "It's not me that you need to be worried about."

Victor's face filled with sympathy. "Honey, you lost two people in two weeks. That's a lot for a seventeen year old girl to take on."

"I'm fine, Uncle Victor." I tried my best to flash one of my dashing Rose Hathaway smiles. "Really, I am."

He didn't look convinced, but dropped it. The service was quick, due to the rain. Dimitri stayed by my side the whole time, which I was thankful for. Many people I didn't know came up to me and expressed their condolences. I thanked each one politely, but after an hour I desperately wanted to leave. Sensing this, Dimitri told Victor we had to get back. I hugged my uncle again. I looked back at him once we reached the car, and my soul died a little when I saw him with one hand on Sonya's casket, the other covering his eyes as he wept.

As soon as we parked at the academy, I opened the door and ran.

"Rose!" Dimitri called after me. I only stopped to kick off my heels so I could run faster. I let the rain pelt me in the face.

I ran until I reached the gym, where I shed my dress. I had on a black camisole and spandex under my dress. I grabbed the gloves Dimitri gave me and began a dummy that resembled a Strigoi as hard as I could. Only, I didn't stop. I hit him again and again and again. I hit him until two hands physically made me stop.

"No!" I screamed. I fought against the strong hold. "Let me go!"

"Rose, you need to stop." Dimitri said calmly. It made me angry.

"No." I said. "I don't want to be calm right now!"

"Well, you need to be. You can grieve, but I won't let you hurt yourself while you do it." His eyes were filled with so much compassion. My heart ached staring at him. I wanted him, so badly. Our eyes locked, and I leaned toward him. I leaned my head on his chest. His hands still held my shoulders.

"You care about me." I stated matter of factly.

"Of course I do." He sounded shocked, like it was silly of me to think any different. He took a few steps back. "You're my student."

I took a step closer. "No, it's more than that. I've seen it since the day you found me at the academy." I took another step, nearly closing the distance between us. "You care about me in a different way. A way you would never care for any of them." I made a waving motion to where the school was.

"Don't be ridiculous." Said Dimitri, his voice gruff. His control was cracking, and he and I both knew it.

"I'm not." I insisted. "You're always fighting for control around me, even now. But it's breaking. I can see it." One more step and we would be chest to chest. Or rather chest to head, considering our ridiculous height difference. I closed the distance and Dimitri stiffened. I snaked a hand up his chest and to the back of his neck, winding my fingers in his hair. "Let yourself feel this." I whispered. His eyes closed briefly, and when he opened them, the fire in his irises shocked me. He was breathing heavily, the breaths coming out ragged. His dark eyes bore into mine, the fire in them spreading through my entire body. A deep longing exploded inside me, and it took everything I had to hold back.

"We can't." Dimitri spoke. He didn't believe his own words.

I tightened my grip on his hair and pulled him down to me. "Yes, we can." I brought his face down to mine, stopping only a breath away from his lips. "You can't tell me you don't want this." My heart was pounding, and I knew by his heavy breathing he was too.

"I don't want this." He murmured.

My lips turned up in a soft smile. "Liar." I whispered.

Something broke in him, and his lips crushed against mine. His left arm grabbed me around my waist, his hand holding the small of my back. The right hand held my head as he lifted me, bringing our bodies closer. His lips moved feverishly against mine. I held his cheek with my free hand, my thumb brushing over his stubble. His tongue traced my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth. Our tongues danced together in a heady fashion. He wanted me just as badly as I wanted him. He carried me to a supply closet, never breaking the kiss. He kicked the door shut behind him and slammed me against a wall. The hand that was holding my back grabbed my thigh and wrapped it around his body. My arms wrapped tightly around his neck, bringing him even closer, if possible. His mouth moved from my own, trailing light kisses from my cheek and to my ear.

"Roza." He breathed. I shivered. A small moan escaped my lips. Everything was perfect. Almost. Abruptly he set me down and moved away from me. He put his hand over his mouth and just stared at me for a few moments. I reached for him, but he held up a hand. "We can never do that again." The ice in his voice startled me.

"What? But-"

"I mean it." He cut me off. "You're a child." I flinched. "I cannot let myself lose control to a child." He shook his head and strode past me and out of the room.

Tears welled in my eyes. This easily had to be the worst day ever.

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 **Poor Rose really can't catch a break, but we finally had our first kiss! Let me know what you think! Have a great week :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, guys! I'm sorry for the late update, it has been a busy past few weeks! Enjoy chapter 12! :)**

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I didn't see much of Dimitri over the next few days. He sent me a message cancelling our training for Monday, saying I needed to take the time to grieve and focus on schoolwork for a day. I knew it was a shitty excuse, he just didn't want to deal with the aftermath of our kiss. I was left feeling more confused than ever. _I can't let myself lose control to a child._ The harsh words felt like a slap in the face. It probably would've hurt less had he actually physically slapped me. I threw myself into the social life of St. Vladamir's to try to get my mind off of my increasingly messy life.

Monday after school I met Lissa, Christian, and Adrian in the library. I hadn't had a chance to talk to any of them since the events of last week. To my surprise, Lissa and Christian were deep in conversation when I arrived. Adrian sat opposite them, toying with a lighter. When they saw me, Lissa ran to me and hugged me.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She cried. She held my shoulders and pushed me back so she could get a good look at me. "Physically, I mean. How are you, you know, mentally?" concern filled her eyes and my heart warmed at the sentiment.

"I'm okay." There was no point denying that I was sad. "I'll be great, eventually."

Christian motioned for us to join him. "So . . ." he started. "What do you remember?"

"Training with my mom. She didn't want me to be a part of this world. She trained me so I would know how to defend myself, but she didn't ever want me to end up like this. She had this man-" I stopped. I thought of Dimitri telling me he had a feeling the man was my father. "A man who I presume is my father . . . wipe my memories. I don't know why. But two days later, my mom was killed."

Three sets of eyes stared at me, unsure what to think.

"Why didn't she want you to be a part of this world?" Adrian asked. "I mean, plenty of dhampir women choose to stay home and raise their children, but many of them still go to school. The ones who don't want any part don't even bother training."

I shrugged. "All I know is that she wanted me educated enough to be able to protect myself. That didn't really work out, considering what happened to Sonya." Remembering the Strigoi's words, I turned to Christian.

"The Strigoi who killed her knew you. He said there was some sort of prize if he brought me back to whoever was looking for me. He said if he brought you back, he would get a really good reward."

Christian's eyes widened. "I forgot to put the charmed ring back on when I took you home."

"It's pretty obvious that your parents are looking for you." Said Adrian. "They've been searching for a long time. It makes sense Strigoi would know to look for you."

Lissa put a reassuring hand on Christian's arm. He visibly relaxed. I raised my eyebrows and Lissa blushed.

"It's a good thing Guardian Belikov killed him before he could report to anyone that he found you both." Said Lissa.

Adrian nodded in agreement. "Who knows what would've happened if your parents found out where you were."

"I do." Christian said matter of factly. "I'd be a Strigoi."

Lissa's face paled at the mention of him turning Strigoi. "No," she said. "We wouldn't let that happen to you." She turned to me. "Or you, Rose. We're going to look out for each other." She looked around the table at all of us. "We're in this together now."

Christian's face beamed with pride at how queenly she acted. "You're so regal." He teased.

I rolled my eyes at their flirting. "Have you two," I pointed at Adrian and Lissa. "Talked about your magic?"

Lissa nodded. "We spoke to Ms. Carmack about it. She said she's only heard of one other person having these abilities."

"St. Vladamir was able to heal people." Adrian continued for her. We spoke to the priest who holds services at the chapel on the grounds. He lent us old books written by St. Vladamir and others who wrote about him." I felt a jolt of excitement from Lissa. I looked at her, and her eyes widened.

"And?" I asked.

"They call it spirit." Lissa was so excited she nearly bounced out of her seat. "Adrian will be staying at school to work with Ms. Carmack and me."

"That's great." I smiled.

"We'll help you find out what happened, Rose." Lissa slid her hand across the table and grabbed mine. As soon as our hands touched, I was transported somewhere else.

 _Bodies littered the road. Two cars blended together, their metal morphing into one. Lissa searched the faces frantically for a sign of her parents and brother. When she found them, bile rose in her throat. She put her hands on her mother, trying to get her to move. "Come on, mom." She wailed. After several attempts and nothing, she sat back, defeated._

I shot back into my own head. Lissa and I stared wide eyed at each other, both our breaths labored. Adrian and Christian exchanged looks.

"It can't be true." Lissa whispered.

"What are you talking about?" I eyed her hand.

"You're bonded." Adrian said. He had a look of amazement on his face.

"What the hell does that mean?" I demanded. If life could stop punching me in the face that would be great. These life changing surprises were going to send me into an early grave.

"St. Vladamir was bonded, too. To a woman named Anna. We aren't sure how it happens . . ." Lissa trailed off. There are theories, but no one knows for sure."

"We're not sure what it all still entails." Christian said. "We know it links you two together somehow. Anna was able to see into St. Vladamir's head, and could feel what he was feeling. We're not sure what else."

"I'll keep researching." Lissa said. She eyed me carefully, worried how I would react.

"You felt it the first night we met, when we shook hands, didn't you?" I asked. Things were starting to come together in my head. Feeling her emotions, the shock that went through us when we touched that first day.

Lissa nodded. "I didn't understand it, but it makes sense now-or at least as much as it can. This is all so crazy." She shook her and rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah." I agreed. "It is."

We chatted for a while until it was time for dinner. I hadn't eaten much all weekend, and I was suddenly famished. We walked in a group to the cafeteria. Lissa and I hung back while the boys joked up ahead. Lissa stared dreamily at Christian's back.

"What's going on with you and Sparky?" I asked. Embarrassment flooded her face and she looked down at her shoes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said.

A grin spread over my face. "You're such a liar. I can tell."

Her head snapped up and she met my eyes. "Really?"

"No." I laughed. "But now I know I'm right."

Lissa smacked my arm. "You can't do that!" she cried.

"You should go for it. He likes you too, you know."

"He does? Are you sure?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Liss. It's painfully obvious."

A small smile appeared on her face. "I don't know, Rose. Relationships are so . . . complicated." We entered the cafeteria just then, and I saw Dimitri talking to a guardian by the door. He glanced at me briefly when we entered. I looked away immediately.

"You got that right." I grumbled.

The next morning I raced down the dorm stairs to practice. I slept in longer than I meant to, so I was running late. I sprinted across the quad to the gym, making it just in time. Dimitri was laying out a practice mat. It had a large circle in the center, a line split down the middle. I approached slowly, suddenly very aware that we were alone and we hadn't talked since the kiss. He stood to his full height and looked at me. What looked like regret flashed in his eyes, and then disappeared all too quickly.

"What's this for?" I asked, setting my bag down.

"I spoke to the headmistress about what happened with the compulsion. They want to reevaluate the extra training sessions and see if you're ready to start classes with everyone else. We're going to spar today." He tossed me a chest pad.

"I get to start the actual training classes?" I asked, excitement apparent in my voice.

"Depending on what the guardians think. A few of them along with Celeste will be here to watch you this evening."

Nervousness built in me. I hadn't tested me strength since I regained my memory. I'd been too scared. I know that I was good; really good. My mother's skills were amazing, and I managed to beat her a few times. Sensing the change in my attitude, Dimitri's voice softened.

"You'll be fine. I want to see what you can do. Don't hold back." He motioned me forward and explained the sparring rules. I was a little put out that I wasn't allowed to punch him in the nose.

"You don't have to tell me twice." I said under my breath. Dimitri raised his eyebrow.

We began. Immediately I noticed a difference in my body. I was lighter on my feet, and way quicker than before. Dimitri's arm shot out to hit me in the chest, and I dodged it. While he focused on my chest, I kicked my foot out to catch his, hoping to make him lose balance. It didn't work. He was fast, and he was strong. He spun around, changing direction before my foot was able to reach him. In doing so, he was able to land a punch on my arm.

"Point." He said.

Frustration flared in me. I shot forward, hoping to catch him by surprise. It worked for a second, but a second was all I needed. I brought my foot and kicked him square in the chest. The force knocked him back, and he lost his footing. Not wasting any time, I attacked again. I was sure I had him, but Dimitri grabbed my arms and flipped us both over, sending me falling onto my back and him above me. He pinned my hands above my head. I had clenched my eyes shut from the impact. When I opened them, he was staring at me. I was breathing heavily, but it stopped as soon as I locked eyes with him.

I closed my eyes again, trying to regain control of my breathing. "Dammit." I muttered. Dimitri released his hold on me and helped me up.

"You did well, but you can do better. You _need_ to do better." He said stiffly. His face was impassive, the famous stone cold guardian expression was well practiced.

"That's it? I had you for a second!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," He agreed, "But a second is all it takes for a Strigoi to snap your neck."

I flinched at his use of words. The dreadful image of Sonya dying flashed in my head. "You think I don't know that?" I spat.

He sighed. "Rose, about what happened the other day-"

"There's nothing to talk about." I tried the guardian expression, and hoped I was pulling it off. "You said it yourself. I'm a child. I'm surprised you think I'm mature enough to even have this conversation." My voice was cold, surprising even me.

"I shouldn't have said that." He admitted. He ran a hand through his hair. It had fallen out of its ponytail when we fought. "You're more mature than I gave you credit for. I meant what I said, it can't happen again. But I am sorry I called you a child."

My heart hurt hearing him say it couldn't happen again. "You have nothing to worry about, Guardian Belikov. I won't give in to any impulses I might have. Hopefully you can do the same." I picked up my bag and sauntered out of the gym. My confidence faltered once I was outside.

I couldn't help the tears that started to sting my eyes. I blinked ferociously, trying to get them to stop. I had bigger things to worry about than some stupid crush on a guy way older than me. I mean, what did I expect? That he would just hold me and make everything okay? Of course he couldn't do that. He was my instructor, and nothing more. I was foolish to think otherwise. Sighing, I quickly changed into my school uniform before classes started.

On my way inside, I found Christian talking to Tasha. They were speaking in hushed tones that ended abruptly as I approached.

"Rose," Tasha grinned at me." It's so nice to finally meet you. Christian has told me a lot about you." I was a bit shocked at the woman standing in front of me. She was beautiful, no doubt. The purple raised scars on her cheek put her whole appearance off, but she held her head high with so much confidence, it was hard not to be completely spell bound by her.

"Should I be worried?" I teased. I took her outstretched hand and shook it.

She laughed, a melodic sound. "No, not at all. In fact, I've been hoping to see you around so I could thank you for keeping Christian safe." Her icy blue eyes showed fear for her nephew, and gratitude for me.

"Of course. I couldn't just leave him. That wouldn't make me a very good friend now, would it?" I smiled at Christian who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, my knight in shining armour." Christian punched my arm. "Let's get to class."

I nodded. "Bye, Tasha. It was really nice to meet you."

Tasha waved as we left. "Likewise." She grinned at me.

"I heard the guardians are deciding on whether or not you get to start your training classes today." Christian said to me as we entered the school and started down the hallway to class.

"Yep. I had one spar with Dimitri today and it didn't go that well." I sighed.

"They just want to see that you have the ability to keep up with the novices, and judging by the fact that you don't have a black eye or a limp, I'd say you're going to do just fine."

I looked at Christian with mock shock. "Well, if Christian Ozera believes in me then I must be pretty damn excellent."

Christian shook his head and eyed me with annoyance. "Yeah, well I guess we'll see how excellent you really are tonight, won't we? I'll be front and center."

I stopped walking so abruptly someone ran into my back and cursed at me. I ignored them. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"What?" Christian looked confused.

"What do you mean you'll be 'front and center'?"

"What, did you really think we would miss out on this? Everyone has been talking about it nonstop since the guardians announced your test would be today."

Great. Not only was I going to have to prove I was worthy of being here to the guardians, but the entire student body would be watching. Lucky me.

"Fantastic." I grumbled.

We parted ways as we went to class, though I didn't pay much attention. All day long I was distracted and thinking about the fight. I even went to the gym straight after classes were over so I could get some extra stretches and practice in. I tied my hair up into a tight bun to eliminate the risk of Dimitri grabbing my hair and getting an advantage on me there. The test would begin in an hour, so I needed to get focused, not that it was hard, as that was the only thing I could think about all day.

After practicing on a dummy for a while, students and guardians began to filter in through the doors. I ducked into the supply room so I could catch my breath and calm my nerves. I leaned my head back against the door and closed my eyes, breathing deeply.

After a few seconds I heard voices behind the shelves toward the back of the room. Voices that sounded really familiar. I poked my head around the corner to see who it was, and froze at what I found. Dimitri and Tasha stood by the back of the room while Dimitri gathered gloves for him and I. Tasha laughed at something Dimitri said. My eyebrows shot up at the sultry tone she used to respond to him. He grinned at her and walked over to where she stood. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. I immediately saw red. So much for deep breathing and calming down. Anger bubbled inside of me and I had to turn and leave the room before I did something stupid. This test could very well decide my fate here at the academy, and I couldn't risk it.

When I emerged from the supply room. The bleachers were packed. Bodies stood along the wall where there wasn't sitting room. It seemed like the whole school turned out for the test. A flash of anxiety shot through me, but it wasn't mine. I turned and locked eyes with Lissa. She grinned at me triumphantly and waved, though I could tell she was just as nervous as I was. If I failed this test, we wouldn't be able to figure more out about our bond. Christian and Adrian sat on either side of her, and both men offered me sympathetic smiles. I nodded in return, and took my place on the mat.

Dimitiri joined me a moment later and handed me the gloves.

"Ready?" he asked.

I took the gloves from him and shoved my hands through the slits. "I'm ready." The tone ofmy voice surprised him, though he didn't say anything.

A loud whistle pierced the air, making the room fall silent. A guardian I recognized from the night my aunt died, Yuri, stood and spoke.

"All right," his voice boomed through the room. "We won't be using normal sparring rules. To get a good gauge on your abilities, we need to see what you can do in a real fight." he explained. "Therefore, hits above the shoulders will be allowed. Don't hold back on each other. The first one to pin your opponent for three seconds wins." Excited whispers filled the room. "When you hear the siren, begin."

I squared my shoulders and tried to settle my nerves. Once I saw Tasha flash Dimitri and I a smile, it wasn't hard. I focused on my anger. As soon as the siren sounded, the room erupted.

Dimitri wasted no time. He came at me immediately, shooting for a kick to my knees. I dodged his foot narrowly. He didn't slow down. When I stepped left, so did his fist. It collided with the side of my head, directly hitting my ear. A loud ringing started as stars danced before my eyes. Anger fumed through me, and I shot back. I grabbed onto his shoulder and swung myself up and over him, locking my legs around his back. I gave a blow to the back of his head, and he stumbled.

It wasn't enough. He took hold of my arm around his neck and pulled me forward. I tightened my grip on his waist with my thighs. I grunted at the pain from the force of him pulling my arm nearly out of its socket. I jumped off of him, and landed a side kick to the back of his knees. I used the momentum of his fall forward to jump onto his shoulders to knock him down. Instead, he grabbed my hands and flipped me over his head and onto my back. Gasps rang through the room, as did a few yells of triumph. With more fluid grace than I have ever seen, Dimitri was on top of me in a matter of seconds.

His hands found my wrists quickly. The second he puts his knees on either side of me, the fight would be over. Rearing my knee up and through his still outstretched legs, I kicked him where I always promised I would. Right where the sun doesn't shine. His grunt of pain almost made me feel bad. Almost. I swung my other leg up, and planting both my feet on his shoulders, I kicked him back and off of me. I quickly rose to my feet, and punched him in the nose. He fell back and smacked his head against the mat. The few seconds it took for him to regain his composure, I had him pinned. It was done.

A monstrous roar erupted from the crowd, but I barely heard it. All I could focus on were the brown eyes locked on mine. My breathing was heavy, but the pounding of my heart had nothing to do with the physical exertion, but the look in Dimitri's eyes. I saw pride, but something more. Something that looked a lot like lust. I squeezed my thighs tighter around his waist, and he stifled a low groan. I smiled in victory, and stood. I offered him my hand and helped him up. He averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

The room was once again silent while we waited for the headmistress and the guardians to make their final decision.

Finally, after what seemed like years, Yuri gave me a triumphant grin. "Welcome to training, Rose."

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 **A lot happened in this chapter! How do you think the bond was created? Rose wasn't shadow kissed, so what could it be? And do you think there is something going on between Tasha and Dimitri? Let me know ;) Have a great day!**


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